You are the Only Exception
by Dani007
Summary: Gail and Holly's relationship progression. Set after Gail coming home from the hospital and then my take on it. My first fanfic, so please pardon the errors. Other then that, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1-Take You Home

"Hey"

"Hey, let's get outta here".

Holly steered Gail out of the hospital, she wasn't sure if she would remember the way after the doctors gave her the oxycodone. They reached the car and Holly opened the door for Gail. "Thaaank you!" Gail exclaimed, clearly still high. Holly walked around the other side and got in. She noticed Gail fidgeting with, well, everything. The lock, her seatbelt, her hair… "Gail… Gail!" "Hmmm, what?" Gail looked up, confused and startled. "I'm taking you to my…"

"Holly."

"Yes, Gail." Holly sighed; it had been a long day. Her computer had frozen in the middle of an analysis, she had spilt coffee on herself and the lab techs kept screwing up.

"Why is this car so small?"

"What?" Holly was confused. "How much oxy did they give you?"

"A lot." Gail giggled. Holly was not letting her go home alone while she was like this. "I'm taking you to my place while the oxy wears off."

"M'kay." Gail sighed and leaned her head against the window. 'She's beautiful even when she's doped up.' Holly thought.

* * *

About 15 minutes later, they arrived at Holly's apartment. "Gail, we're here." Gail's eyes fluttered open. "Wow, this stuff makes you sleepy." Gail yawned as she stepped out of the car.

"This way." Holly took Gail's arm and turned her towards the apartment doors. "Wow Holly. We've only known each other 2 weeks and you're already taking me home. Desperate much." Gail giggled at her own joke. Holly thought it was best not to reply. 'She doesn't know what she's saying with all that oxy in her system.'

They went through the doors and got into the elevators. Holly pushed the button for the 3rd floor. The elevator dinged and they stepped through the doors. She led Gail around the corner to her apartment. As she dug her keys out of her purse, Gail started to wander away down the hall. "Gail!" Gail turned around, surprised. Holly opened the door and motioned with her hand, "In." she said. Gail slowly walked towards the door and gave Holly a quizzical look as she walked in.

Holly walked in after Gail and shut the door, maybe a little too loudly. She was tired. Gail whipped around and put her finger to her lips and whispered, "Shhhhhh, you'll wake the fish." Holly gave up trying to make sense of what she had said. Gail walked around the room, examining every single thing as if she was looking for something. "I'll go get you something to sleep in. The bathroom's just around the corner." Gail grunted her reply and continued searching the apartment. Holly returned with a pair of sweatpants and an over sized t-shirt. Gail pattered down the hall with the clothes towards the bathroom.

She closed the door and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was even paler than usual and looked tired. She rinsed her face with water and brushed her teeth with the extra toothbrush that Holly had set out for her.

A few minutes later she emerged from the bathroom feeling a little better now that the oxy had started to wear off. She put her uniform and belt on a chair. Holly came into view, "I'll set up the couch for you unless you want the bed." Holly looked at Gail and knew from the expression on her face that neither would do.

"Can, can I sleep with you tonight? I don't want to be alone." Gail mumbled into her hands. "Of course" Holly replied. "Go ahead; I'll be there in a few minutes." Holly walked into the bathroom as Gail padded over to the bedroom and crawled into Holly's bed.

When Holly left the bathroom, she found Gail curled up under the covers. She climbed in the bed and turned out the light. "Good night Gail." A couple seconds later, she felt the bed shift as Gail shuffled over to lay with her. Her head resting on Holly's shoulder and her arm draped over her. "Goodnight…" she mumbled.


	2. Chapter 2-You Took Me In

Gail woke up wrapped in a warm duvet and rolled over. As soon as she did, she felt the pain shooting through her wrist up into her arm. "Ow!" She groaned and looked over at the empty bed she was sleeping in. "Holly?" She could have sworn that Holly was there when she went to bed, but then again, she had that huge oxy trip last night.

Gail sat up and slowly climbed out of bed. She peered out of the bedroom and saw Holly standing in the kitchen making tea. She was wearing a sweater and sweatpants that hung loosely around her hips. Gail started towards the kitchen and asked "I hope one of those is for me."

Holly turned around. "Good morning!" Holly was clearly a morning person, Gail wasn't. "Mornin'." She grunted back and went to sit on the couch. She found a blanket and wrapped herself in it.

"I thought you said you didn't have any fleece." Gail said, indicating the blanket she was wrapped in.

"Well, I normally don't wear a blanket outside." Holly said as she poured some tea into the mugs.

She picked up the 2 mugs and walked over to the couch. She handed one to Gail, who graciously accepted it, and went to sit on the opposite end with her feet tucked under her.

"Don't you have to work or something?" Gail asked, taking a long sip of her tea.

"No, I took the day off. I didn't want you to wake up all alone and freak out." Holly took a swallow of her tea. 'How thoughtful.' Gail thought. She scooted a bit closer to Holly so she was sitting right beside her, their knees now touching.

"I… I wanted to thank you, for last night." Holly looked up at Gail's face, her ice blue eyes and her red lips. Holly reached out to cup Gail's face and kissed her, slowly, tenderly as if she were made of glass. "For you, anytime." She whispered. Gail looked at her, "If you don't stop kissing me Dr., I might just fall for you." She gave a slight smile up at Holly and curled up in a ball with her now cold tea and rested her head on Holly's shoulder. 'It's too late for me.' Holly thought, she was falling hard for this mysterious, blond, woman.

Gail had the day off, 'designated day off due to injury' Frank had said when he called her cell phone.

"Do you mind if I spend the day here?" Gail had asked. "Sure." Holly had replied casually, secretly excited that she got to spend the whole day with Gail.

They spent the day doing nothing. Watching reruns of Mythbusters (Holly's favorite show), teasing each other and reading all the books that were lined up along Holly's shelves. Gail was surprised to learn that Holly's favorite TV show wasn't CSI.

"I'm already living the corpses and analyzing samples. Why would I need to watch it on TV?"

"Well, I just thought that you would find pleasure in yelling at the screen what they're doing wrong." Gail retorted.

Holly laughed and shook her head. "No, because they're already up on their medical jurisprudence. You could learn a few things!" Gail looked shocked and Holly ducked just in time to avoid the pillow that was thrown at her head.

…

Holly was sitting on the couch, reading one of her scientific journals. Gail was walking around inspecting the many lines of books. She picked one up and read the cover out loud. "Are all the books you have science related?" Holly looked up at Gail who stood there with her arms crossed.

"What can I say, I'm a nerd." Holly smirked at Gail. "Well, I knew that already." Gail replied as she walked into the kitchen to look for something to eat. "Holly its official, you have absolutely nothing to eat."

"Well, why don't we go out and grab something, it is almost 5:00 and all you've eaten are a bag of smarties and 3 pieces of toast. Not the best food to eat when you're all doped, I might add."

"Hey, if you had food, I wouldn't have been in that situation. I had no choice!" Gail shot a look at Holly.

"Ok, ok I'm coming." Holly stood up and stretched. She had spent most of the day on the couch. She grabbed her coat and shoes. "After you." She ushered Gail out the door.

"I'm in the mood for Pizza, Holly." Gail said as they stood in the elevator.

"There's a pizza place right around the corner from here."

"No tomatoes, I'm allergic."

Holly turned to look at Gail. "What's a pizza without tomatoes?"

Gail looked at Holly with a serious look on her face. "Holly, a pizza without tomatoes is an alive Gail, one that's _not _in the hospital ER."

"No tomatoes it is."

It was 7:00 by the time they got back to Holly's place. "I'd better go, I've got to work tomorrow and Dov and Chris are probably wondering where I am." Gail said as she turned to face Holly.

"Ok, text me, let me know you got back safe." Holly smiled at Gail. That smile completely melted her. Holly was starting to melt Gail's ice cold exterior, no one had done that before. It was warm and reassuring; and the fact that Holly could do that with a smile meant something.

"I will." Gail stepped in and gave Holly a quick kiss, and Holly responded by grabbing Gail's head and pulling her closer, so that their bodies were pressed against each other. Holly could fell each of Gail's curves pressed up against her own. Gail suddenly pulled away.

"Bye."

Gail stepped out the door and started towards the elevator. Holly stood there in the door frame, watching her leave. She touched her lips, still slightly tasting Gail's lipstick on them, and smiled to herself. She felt herself liking Gail more and more with each minute she spent with her.

Gail stepped into the elevator and pushed the ground floor button. 'What the hell am I getting into.' she thought. She had just broken up with Nick after finding out that he had cheated on her with Andy. She wasn't sure if she wanted another relationship, or if she could handle one. But, she liked Holly. She made her feel safe and warm inside. She smiled. 'Holly.' She thought. With her soft eyes and dark hair, that 'I know what you're thinking' smile. Wow, she was falling quick and hard.

Gail walked up the steps to the flat that she shared with Chris and Dov. Opening the door, she found Dov and Chris sitting on the couch playing Xbox.

"Hey, where have you been?" Chris asked as he paused the game and turned around to look at Gail.

"Holly took me home last night, and I spent the day there. You guys were at work, so I figured, why not. Why? Is that a problem?" She gave the two a look that said 'don't mess with me.' They got the message loud and clear. "Nope." They both replied in unison as they returned to their game.

Gail walked down the hall to her room and shut the door. All she wanted to do right now was curl up and sleep for the next 3 days. She undressed and tossed her clothes on the ground. Actually, they were Holly's clothes. She had given Gail a t-shirt and pair of sweat pants to wear instead of her scratchy uniform. She grabbed a t-shirt and pair of shorts and crawled into bed.

'Made it home safe nerd.' She texted Holly

'I'm relieved. Have a good night. xo'. Was the reply Gail got back a few minutes later.

She set her phone on the night stand and lay down. It sure wasn't sleep she had on her mind now.


	3. Chapter 3- One of Those Days

Gail woke up to a pounding on her door. She jumped up and walked over to her door and yanked it open.

"What!?"

A startled Chris stood at the door. "It's, uh, time to go." He pointed towards the door with his thumb where Dov was also waiting. Gail looked back at her clock. It was 6:45.

"Just give me a few minutes." She said as she shut her door. Gail had forgotten that she had to go back to work today. She grabbed a clean uniform and stuffed it in her bag. She put her sweater on over her pj's and opened the door. She put on her shoes and started walking out the door.

"What now?" She exclaimed as Chris and Dov stood there.

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" Asked Dov.

"I'll get dressed there, now let's goooo." She drawled out as she walked out the door. Chris and Dov looked at each other and knew it was going to be one of those days.

* * *

Gail stood with her head against the cool metal of her locker. She could have taken the day off, but never the less, here she was. She heard footsteps and looked up. It was Traci.

"Hey, how ya feeling today?"

"Tired, as usual. My wrist is still sore, but other than that everything is just peachy." Traci knew Gail was back to normal by the tone of her voice.

"Frank put you on desk duty today."

"Yeah, I kinda figured he would. I'm stuck inside all day while you get to go out and bust people."

Traci laughed. "Have fun!" She called over her shoulder as she walked out. Gail like Traci. She was fun and she didn't invade your personnel life. Gail shut her locker door and walked out to the desks and sat down. It was going to be a boring morning and she knew it. She was stuck inside doing paper work. At least Frank hadn't put her in booking, which was the worst. Having to deal with the drunk, the crazy and the trouble makers was enough to make any officer crazy.

She looked from her paper work to see Oliver.

"Hey! How ya feeling Peck?" Oliver asked in his usual cheerful voice.

"Sore, stuck on desk duty. How do you think I'm, doing?" She quipped back.

"Alright I'll just leave you to your paper work then." With that he walked off. Gail sighed, it was only 7:30 and she couldn't wait to get out of here.  
…

It was nearly lunch and Gail was already exhausted. She had been filing and filling out follow up reports for the past 5 hours. She looked up towards the morgue and saw Holly intently working away. Testing samples and whatever else she did in that lab of hers. She smiled to herself. She picked up her phone and texted Holly.

'Hey nerd, you hungry?'

She watched as Holly looked up and pick up her phone. She smiled and looked down at Gail. Gail waved.

'A little. Were you thinking of going out?' Holly texted back.

'Yeah, you coming?' Gail replied. She looked up and Holly nodded at her.

Gail got up from her desk and stretched. She walked up to Frank's office and put the first folder of filed reports on his desk. "I'm heading out to lunch." Gail called over her shoulder as she left Frank's office. She walked up the set of stairs to the morgue. She stood in the doorway as Holly worked away at one of her corpses. "She looks so focused...and cute.' Gail thought to herself.

"Ready to go?" Gail finally asked. Holly turned around and smiled.

"Yeah, just give me a minute." She threw her gloves in the garbage and her lab coat on her chair. "Let's go!"

"So where are you taking me?" Holly asked as her and Gail walked down the street. Gail pointed at a little sandwich shop across the road. They crossed the street and walked through the door.

"It smells soooo good in here!" Holly exclaimed.

"Oliver and I usually stop in here when we're on patrol. They have the best subs around."

They both ordered and went to grab a seat. Gail had ordered turkey on rye and a coke. Holly had gotten the egg salad on white and a tea.  
"Damn, this is good!" Holly said as she took another bite. Gail just grinned at her. 'Wow, her smile is incredible. What I wouldn't do...' Holly thought to herself. She knew most people thought of her as the ice queen, but Holly saw past that. She saw a beautiful, blond with a great personality. One who could make you laugh till your stomach hurt and could be there for you when you needed it. At least, that's what Holly got from the day they had spent together in her apartment.

"Holly!" Holly looked up, surprised. "You're staring." Gail looked at her, waiting for an answer. "Ready to go?' Holly asked, avoiding Gail's glance. They stood up and left. The walk back to the precinct was quiet, with neither of them saying a word until they got there. "Talk to you later!" Holly said as they reached the doors of the precinct and Holly turned to head back up to the morgue. Gail smiled and walked back towards the desk, where she would be spending the rest of her miserable day.

* * *

Gail was on her last follow up report when Chris came up to the desk. "You coming to The Penny tonight?" He asked. She nodded. The Penny would be a good way to relax after today. "I'll meet you guys there, I still have to change." She finished the report, dropped it on Frank's desk and headed towards the change room. She took off her uniform and put on her favorite blue sweater and jeans. She laced up her combat boots and walked out, ready to drink away the day.

She walked in and looked around for everybody. They were all sitting at a table. Gail ordered a drink and walked over. "Hey! It's the Ice Princess!" Oliver exclaimed with his usual joking manner. She sat down next to him because she really didn't want to sit next to Andy or Nick, who looked at her awkwardly, and Dov and Chloe who were making out, and she really didn't want to sit next to that. He was the only one besides Traci, who was taking care of Leo tonight, who she could tolerate.

"How was the desk today?" Oliver asked. "Boring, as usual." She replied, taking another gulp of her drink. She had only been there for 10 minutes and she already needed another drink. She got up and walked over to the bar. "Can I get a refill?" She asked. The bartender nodded and took her glass. She looked up and saw Holly walk in with some chick. She watched them sit down in a booth. For the next 15 minutes she watched them talk and laugh together. She saw Holly look up and she looked away. She downed another drink and told the bartender to make it a double.

Gail like Holly, she could talk to her without worrying about what she said, she could say whatever she felt and she knew Holly would understand. Now, watching Holly talk and laugh with someone, Gail actually felt jealous. Was she actually falling for Holly? It wouldn't be hard, with her dark eyes and brown hair, her incredible light up the room smile… 'Gail! Get a grip.' She said to herself. She swallowed her drink and paid her tab. She walked back to the table, where Dov and Chloe still hadn't come up for air. "I'm leaving." She announced to no one in particular. They were all too busy talking about a big bust they had done that day. She grabbed her coat from the table and walked out.

* * *

"Holly!" Holly looked up at the woman, who was clearly upset. "If you're not interested, just say so. You didn't have to stare at someone else the whole night to make it so obvious." With that she walked off. Holly didn't try to stop her, she knew she was right. She felt horrible. She had been staring at Gail practically the whole date. Maybe that's why she chose The Penny for the date, so she could make Gail jealous. She didn't know, all she knew was that now both her date and Gail had left and now there was no point in staying. She paid her tab, grabbed her jacket and left.  
As she walked out she saw Gail sitting on the hood of Holly's car.

"What are you doing?" Holly asked as she walked over to her. Gail looked over at her and shifted over, motioning for Holly to come sit with her. Holly sighed and climbed up next to the blond.

"How was your date?" Gail asked. Holly had noticed that Gail had been watching her for most of the night.  
"She was nice, not sure she's my type though." Holly said. She looked over at Gail who was looking at her with one eyebrow raised. Holly knew that she knew there was more than that.

"She left. I… I was kinda distracted tonight. I was looking at someone else the whole night." Holly admitted while looking down at her hands.  
Gail just sat there, staring into the sky. Holly finally broke the silence.

"I like this girl, but I don't know if she's ready or not. I don't want to push her into anything." Holly admitted. Gail knew where this was going and started to talk but Holly stopped her. Next thing she knew Holly's lips were on hers and they were kissing. It was slow and soft, a reassuring kiss. Gail pulled away and Holly looked away. "I'm sorry…" Gail interrupted her, kissing her to make her stop talking. She felt Holly's hand in her hair as she held Holly's face in her hands. They pulled apart and Holly looked at her, her face searching Gail's.

"Gail, I don't want to force you into anything."

"Holly."

"I don't want to make you regret anything."

"Holly."

"If you're not ready…"

"Holly!"

Holly looked at Gail, startled; Gail still holding Holly's face, gently stroking her cheek. Holly's face was still as Gail looked into her brown eyes.

"I want this, I want you."


	4. Chapter 4- The Way You Make Me Feel

Gail woke up in Holly's bed, wrapped up in Holly's arms. She was surprised, she usually didn't like being touched or cuddled when she slept. When she slept, she would usually be curled up in a corner of the bed with her partner on the other side. She felt like her space was invaded. But with Holly, she felt comforted and safe; her touch was reassuring. Holly could touch her, hold her at her most vulnerable and Gail didn't have to worry. No one had made her felt this way before. Not Nick, not Chris or any of her previous boyfriends.

Holly was different.

Gail turned over to face Holly. She was beautiful when she was sleeping. Her brown hair splayed over the pillow and her lips slightly parted. She watched her chest rise and fall as she breathed. Gail ran her finger over her soft cheek. Holly's eyes fluttered open and she smiled. She wrapped one leg around Gail's waist and put one hand on Gail's cheek.

"Good morning." She leaned in and kissed Gail softly on the lips.

"Is that the best you've got?" Gail smirked, trying to edge Holly on.

Holly laughed and leaned in to kiss Gail a little more passionately. 'No one can kiss like her either.' Gail thought.

Gail pulled away and smiled. "Good morning." She untangled herself from Holly and sat up. She glanced over at the clock and jumped out of bed, leaving behind a very surprised Holly. "Crap! I'm going to be late for parade! I've got to go!" She grabbed her pants and stepped into them. She put on her utility belt and grabbed her vest. She leaned down and kissed Holly goodbye.

"See ya later!" Holly pulled Gail down by the collar of her shirt and kissed her back.

"See ya." Holly grinned. Gail walked out the bedroom and a couple seconds later she heard the front door slam shut. She sighed and turned over to go back to sleep.

* * *

Gail was in the change room when she heard the footsteps and the familiar voice.

"Gail! Guess who gets the pleasure of riding with yours truly?" Oliver walked over to her as she was lacing up her police boots and patted her on the back. "You know what that means?"

"Sandwich shop!" Gail shouted as she gave Oliver a high five. Gail liked riding with Oliver, he was funny and he knew the importance of snacking.

"Just let me grab my bag." Gail reached into her locker and grabbed her bag. She and Oliver walked out the doors to squad car 15-07. She threw her bag in the trunk and hoped in.

"So who was the girl you went to lunch with yesterday?" Oliver asks as soon as he pulls the car out of the parking lot.

"A friend from the morgue." Gail replied as she looked out the window. She didn't intend to discuss her relationship with Holly with anybody at the station, much less Oliver, who would probably blab it to the rests of the precinct.

"Uh huh." Oliver smirked as he focuses back on the road. Gail knew that he was probably going to give her a discussion on relationships that involved her without making it obvious it was about her. The radio cackles and they hear "Domestic disturbance at 15 Yonge Street". Gail grabs the radio and responds "Unit 15-07 responding." Gail places the radio back in its spot and flips the switch for the lights and sirens. She was glad to be back on patrol.

* * *

Gail walked into the station after coming back from patrol with Oliver. She was surprised, he hadn't given her that relationship talk, not that she wanted it. She dropped her bag in her locker and pulled a pair of jeans and a t-shirt out. As she's getting dressed, she notices Andy walk in.

"Gail…" Andy starts to say.

"I don't want to hear it McNally." Gail responds without looking at her. She hears Andy walk away and she sighs. She was still mad at her for cheating with Nick and she had no intention of forgiving her any time soon.

She does up her hair in a lazy bun and grabs her jacket. She heads upstairs to the morgue. Holly turns around to see Gail standing in the doorway.

"Hey." Holly smiles and walks over to kiss Gail hello. Gail steps away. "Nope." She says while pointing at Holly's gloved hands and stained lab coat. Holly looks down and backs away.

"I'll be done in a few minutes."

"No rush." Gail replies as she walks in and hops up on her desk. "How was work?" Holly asks as she cleans up her station and throws her gloves in the garbage. "Good, you know, the same. Patrolling with Oliver, so we got to stop at that sandwich place. Andy thinks that by talking I'll forget the fact she Nick cheated on me with her." Gail vents her Nick/Andy frustrations as Holly finishes cleaning up and puts her lab coat away. She walks over to Gail and stands in front of her. "Better?" She asks spreading her arms to show that all the 'gross stuff' as Gail calls it had been cleaned off of her.

"Much." Gail replies as she drapes her arms over Holly's shoulders as she pulls her in for a kiss. She can feel Holly smile into the kiss as she deepens it.

Gail pulls away and asks "Ready to go?'

"Let's." Holly replies as she lifts Gail off the desk and pulls her out the door by the hand. Holly leads Gail out to her car and opens the door for her.

Gail steps in as Holly walks around to the other side. Gail found a radio station a starts singing along softly. Holly looks over at Gail and thinks 'How did I deserve her.' Gail beautiful, with her blond hair, porcelain skin and ice blue eyes tah stared deep into you.

As they reach Holly's apartment, Gail says "I can't stay tonight, its Xbox night with Dov and Chris."

"Ok, will you stay for dinner though?" Holly looks at Gail with puppy dog eyes. "Fiiiine." Holly laughs.

"So what are you cooking?' Gail asks.

"I was just going to order in, if that's fine."

"As long as there's no…"

"Tomatoes. Don't worry I remembered."

* * *

They reached the apartment and Holly pushed the button for the elevator. As they stepped inside the doors Holly pulled Gail into a kiss that sent her spinning. No one who's kissed her before had ever made her feel this way. Holly's kiss sent her over the edge and made her fell like she was floating. She felt her knees go weak and ran her hands through Holly's hair. She felt the hair on the back her neck stand up and a fire burning in her stomach. Sure, Nick's kisses were nice, but not even close to Holly's.

Gail heard the ding as the elevator reached Holly's floor and pulled away. Holly smiled at her and Gail grinned back. They stepped out and walked to Holly's apartment. As Holly fished for her keys, Gail asked "So what were you thinking of ordering?" She stepped inside the apartment and Holly followed.

"Does Chinese sound good?"

"Anything sounds good right about now, I'm starving." Gail said as she opened she fridge and took 2 beers out. She walked over to the couch where Holly was already sitting and gave one to her. Gail lay down and rested her head on Holly's lap and closed her eyes. Holly stroked Gail's hair as the two sat in silence and enjoyed the peace while they waited for their food to arrive.

*DING* "Food!" Gail exclaimed as she jumped up from the couch and ran towards the door. She returned to the couch with a couple containers of Chinese food. "I thought I was going to die of starvation." Gail said as she shoveled noodles into her mouth. Holly laughed.

"You've really got to work on your manners!" Gail looked up at Holly with a noodle sticking out of her mouth. "My point exactly." She said pointing at the noodle with her chopsticks.

"It was either starving Gail or messy Gail and believe me, messy Gail is a lot easier to deal with." Gail explained as she took another bite of her noodles. Holly just shook her head and focused on her Chow Mein.

"I've got to go, Chris and Dov just texted me saying that they're going to start Call of Duty without me if I'm not home in 15 minutes." Gail said as she looked at her phone. "Ok." Holly replied as she started clearing away their dishes.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Holly asked as Gail put on her coat and boots.

"Maybe, if you're lucky." Gail grinned as she stepped forward to kiss Holly goodbye.

"See ya." Holly said as she shut the door. She turned around and leaned against the door. She sighed. Gail was incredible, funny and impossibly sexy. But she knew she had relationship troubles before and had a tendency to run away from them whenever she felt threatened or scared. She knew from her venting that she could be a little cold towards her ex's. She just hoped that Gail wouldn't run away this time.

* * *

When Gail got home, Chris and Dov were sitting on the couch, about to start the game. "What took you so long to get here?" Dov complained.

"I was eating dinner with Holly."

"You sure have been spending a lot of time with her lately." Chris said.

"Yeah, so?" Gail retorted as she grabbed a beer from the fridge, grabbed her controller and sat down on the couch. "Can we just get started?"

"Ok." Chris went over to the TV and started the game. A minute later they were yelling at the screen and at each other. They spent the next 2 hours in these positions. "Yes!" Gail yelled as she threw her controller at Chris and jumped up. "Take that!" Dov threw his controller on the couch and slumped over in defeat. "Ok, ok, you win… this time." Chris relented as he threw his controller on the couch. Gail looked at her phone. "I'm heading to bed, 'night losers!" Gail called as she headed off to her bedroom. As she undressed, she heard her phone vibrate on her night stand. She walked over and picked it up; it was a text from Holly.

'Good night Officer xo'

Gail smiled and texted back. 'Think you can sleep without me tonight?'

'Oh, I'll try, but it might be hard.' Gail laughed.

'Good night nerd.' Gail set down her phone and crawled into bed. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5- Staying the Night

Gail woke up feeling very refreshed; she hadn't felt this rested up in a while. She sat up and stretched. It was 6:00, so she had time for breakfast this morning. She got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. Chris and Dov weren't up yet, so it was nice and quiet. She poured herself a bowl of cheerios and sat down on the couch.

Today was going to be a good day, she could feel it. Or maybe it was because she had woken up with a text from Holly. She liked Holly, she made her feel good and she was a great kisser. Gail had never met someone like Holly before; none of her previous boyfriends had liked her for her before.

They had like the ice princess. Holly looked past that ice princess persona and saw what Gail was really like beyond it.  
She smiled to herself; Holly had that effect on her. She looked up and saw Chris and Dov stumble into the kitchen. "Morning!" Gail said as she took another bite of her cheerios.

"Someone's awfully cheerful this morning." Chris commented as he reached for a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Yes, yes I am." Gail said as she tossed her empty bowl into the sink and started to walk to her bedroom. As she shut the door Chris and Dov looked at each other.

"I don't know what's making her this happy, but I don't want it to stop." Dov said.

"I HEARD THAT!" Gail shouted as she stuck her head out the door and threw her shoe at Dov, who ducked just in time.

"Watch it!" Dov said as he pointed his finger at Gail, who just stuck her tongue out at him and ducked back into her room before Dov could say anything else.  
As she was buttoning up her shirt, she saw her phone light up. It was Holly.

'You want to stay at my place this weekend?'

Gail texted back. 'Sure, what were you planning on doing?'

'You'll have to come and find out.'

'Pick me up after work?'

'Sure, see you then.'

Gail stuffed some clothes in a bag and opened the door. "You losers ready to go? Oh, I won't be coming home tonight; I'm staying at Holly's for the weekend." As Gail walked out the door Chris and Dov looked at each other, wondering if this 'Holly' has something to do with Gail's happiness lately.

* * *

Gail was in the change room putting on her vest when Traci walked in.

"You're with me today Peck, we're busting a smuggling ring." Traci said as she grabbed her vest and service weapon. "Sweet." Gail replied as she followed Traci out towards briefing. Gail was excited; she hadn't been on an operation since her little accident with the drain cleaner. It felt good to go out again. She went through briefing and walked out to the van that she and Traci would be using for surveillance.

"How long have you been planning this operation?" Gail asked as she climbed in the van after Traci. "About 2 weeks, we got a tip from a former gang member about a possible smuggling ring. We've had surveillance on them for about a week." Traci explained as she started the van.

They set off towards their set up location and Traci asked "So who's this Holly you've been spending so much time with lately?" "A friend." Gail said flatly as she looked out the window at the people walking by.

"That's not what I hear, from the fact that you're staying with her this weekend." Traci smirked as she stopped at a red light and turned towards Gail.

"Chris told you, didn't he; I'm gonna punch him next time I see him…" Gail ranted as she stared out the window. Traci sighed. "Gail, you don't have to hide your feelings..."

"So what if I like her. I just don't want anybody judging me." Gail said as she looked at Traci.

"No one's going to judge you Gail. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters." Traci turned that van into a side street and shut it off. "K." Was the only reply Traci got. She knew it was best not to push Gail any further if she didn't want to deal with a grumpy Gail for the rest of the day.

"So it's a group of teenager's smuggling drugs across the city. They've set up in this building here. Steve is just around the corner." Traci pointed at a van peering around the corner of the street.

"Sam is going to flush them out of the building and then that's where we come in." Traci explained. "So all we have to do it bust their butts when they come running out?" Gail asked as she looked at the building. "Pretty much, but they do have weapons, so watch your back." Traci explained.

They heard a crackle over their radio. "That's our cue." Traci said as she hopped out of the van. Gail followed and drew her weapon. "You ready?" She heard Sam ask over the radio. "Go for it." Gail replied as she aimed her weapon at the doors. A few seconds later the doors of the building burst open and 5 teenagers came running out.

She saw three other officers corner the rest of the teens and start to search them. Gail saw Traci tackle one of them as the other ran off down the street, which only gave her one option. "Damn." Gail whispered to herself as she started sprinting after him. "Watch it!" She said as she ducked past an old man handing out flyers. She turned the corner and saw him not to far ahead. She gave it all she had and sprinted after him. A few seconds later she was within distance and she leaped to tackle him.

She caught him around the waist and she felt him go down. She landed on top of him and climbed up on him. "Don't move!" She said as she searched him. She pulled out her handcuffs and put them on his wrists. She yanked him and started walking him back towards the van. "Look who I caught." Gail said as she saw Traci cuff the last teen and throw him into the van. "There is a special place in hell for the runners." Gail complained to Traci as she threw the upset teenager in the van.

"Amen to that." Traci replied.

* * *

As Gail was filling out her follow up report, Traci came up to her.

"Are you heading straight over to Holly's or are you coming to The Penny?" "No, we're heading straight over to her place." Gail replied without looking up. "Gail." Gail felt Traci's hand on her shoulder and she looked up.

"Have fun, and just don't push her away." Traci said as she started walking away.

"What is that supposed to mean!" Gail shouted and threw her hands up in the air. "You know what it means." Traci replied over her shoulder. Gail sighed, she was right. She got up, threw the report on Frank's desk and walked into the change room to get changed. She threw her uniform in her locker and put on a pair of jeans, her favorite green shirt and her combat boots. She grabbed her bag and walked out. She was greeted by a smiling Holly.

"Hey." Holly smiled and leaned in to give Gail a kiss. "Hey, ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Holly replied as she placed her hand on Gail's back. That hand set shivers up Gail's spine and she felt the fire in her stomach again. No one ever made her feel that way. As they walked out, Gail asked "So what are we having for dinner?" Holly laughed. "What?" Gail asked as she climbed in the car.

"All you think about is your stomach isn't it?" Holly said as she started the car.

"Pretty much. But, some kid made me chase him 3 blocks to catch him, so I'm extra hungry." Gail replied. Holly laughed. The drive to Holly's apartment was quiet, with Holly resting her hand on Gail's thigh. As they were walking to the elevator, Gail entwined her fingers into Holly's. Holly looked at her, but Gail just smiled. She never held hands with anybody, but with Holly, it just felt right. They reached Holly's apartment and stepped inside. Gail threw her coat on the counter and immediately went to the fridge to grab a beer. She gave one to Holly and went to sit on the couch.

"So, what are you cooking?" Gail asked again as she took a sip of her beer.

"It's a surprise." Holly smiled at Gail who just rolled her eyes. Holly walked to the kitchen and started pulling things out of the fridge and cutting them up. Gail sat on the couch relaxing and drinking her beer. About half an hour later, she heard Holly say "Dinners ready!" Gail jumped up and walked over to the table, where Holly had plated 2 meals.

"This looks delicious." Gail commented as she sat down.

* * *

After dinner, the couple were resting on the couch; Gail was lying down with her head resting on Holly's lap.

"So what do you want to do?" Gail asked as she tilted her head to look up at Holly, who was playing with the blonds hair.

"I don't know…" Holly said as she ran her hand up Gail's stomach, slightly hitching up Gail's shirt and revealing her belly button. Holly heard Gail's breath hitch, exciting the reaction she was looking for.

Gail sat up so she was straddling Holly with her arms draped over her shoulders. Holly's fingers found the hem of Gail's shirt and lifted it up slightly so she could run her hands across her hips. Gail leaned forwards to meet Holly in a kiss. She felt Holly smile as she slipped her tongue into Holly's mouth. Holly groaned and grabbed the bottom of Gail's shirt and lifted it over her head. She then rolled over, not breaking the kiss, so that she was now sitting atop Gail. Gail moved her hands from Holly's head to unbutton Holly's shirt.

Holly moved her lips from Gail's mouth down to her ear, where she trailed kisses down her neck and across her chest. She heard Gail moan and felt her hands run through her hair. She started back towards her ear and nibbled it before she whispered:

"I think we found what we're going to do tonight."


	6. Chapter 6-Trusting You is Easy

Holly woke up to a ray of sun shining on her pillow, and only her pillow. 'Oh well.' She thought. It was time to get up anyways. She looked over to see Gail, curled up in a ball, holding her hand tightly as it lay across her stomach. 'She is incredible.' Holly thought as she watched Gail's porcelain face. Even just watching her sleep made Holly feel things. She could watch Gail like this for hours. Holly reached out with one finger and traced it over Gail's strong jawline. She saw Gail stir and felt her hand being released from her grip as she raised her arms over her head and stretched.

Gail rolled over and saw Holly watching her with a smile on her face. She smiled; this was definitely her favorite way to wake up in the morning.

"Good morning." Gail said as she leaned in to give Holly a kiss. She adjusted her head so that it was resting in the crook of Holly's shoulder and draped her arm around her stomach. She loved the way that their bodies fit perfectly together, no matter what position.

"Last night was incredible." Holly said as she traced patterns over Gail's hand and arm.

Gail smiled at the memory that was last night. It _was _incredible. Sex before had been good, but it was more to get it done and over with. This time, it was a desire that had to be met, however long it would take them to fulfill it. And Holly more than fulfilled that desire last night.

"I really like lying here with you. You make me feel safe and... And feel things I've never felt before. I'm not good with words, Holly. I never have been. The only way I can describe how I feel when I'm with you is… comforted and blissful, like I don't have a care in the world." Gail said as she wrapped her arms even tighter around Holly's waist. Holly sighed, having Gail open up like this, being touched, was a huge step for her. Gail suddenly sat up, taking her arm off of Holly's midriff.

"What's wrong?" Holly asked. Gail's sudden movement made Holly think that something was wrong. Did Gail regret something?

"Coffee." Was the only reply she got as Gail tossed back the covers and stepped out of bed. She walked out the bedroom and Holly heard cupboards being open and shut and cutlery being rattled. Holly sighed; there was no way she was going back to sleep now. She threw back the covers and sat up. She grabbed a sweater that had been tossed on the floor last night. She walked out of the bedroom towards Gail; who was fiddling in front of the coffee maker. Holly walked up to her and sneaked her arms around Gail's waist. She then gingerly kissed Gail's neck and shoulder blades before making her way back up to nibble on Gail's ear. She heard Gail's breath catch and then deliberately return it to normal. Holly remembered Gail's soft spots from last night and took full advantage of them once again. She turned around and faced Holly.

"Do you want coffee or not?" Gail asked with a serious look on her face and her arms crossed, trying not to reveal the smile that was emerging on her face.

"I'd rather have you." Holly responded in a husky voice that Gail found incredibly sexy. She started placing kisses down Gail's neck again before Gail stopped her. Holly looked up, confused why Gail had stopped her. Gail turned back around and poured two mugs of coffee. If she was going to wake up this early, she needed her coffee. She handed one to Holly before walking over to the couch. Holly followed after her. She took Gail's coffee out of her hands and set it on the table. She then proceeded to stand up, walk behind the couch where Gail was sitting and whispered in her ear:

"I know something else that will wake you up better than coffee." Gail swallowed. Hearing Holly talk like that made her throat go dry and the fire in her stomach to start up again. She decided to play along.

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" She asked with a smirk on her face, not bothering to face Holly.

"Why don't you come back to bed and find out." Holly whispered. With that, she dropped her bra on Gail's lap and walked back into the bedroom. Gail's head turned around and she saw Holly turn into the bedroom. She got up from the couch and walked to the bedroom, where she leaned on the door frame.

"Why don't you show me?" Gail suggested as Holly smiled seductively at her and waved her finger at Gail, beckoning her to come closer. Gail walked over and climbed on the bed, where Holly moved over to her and started kissing her neck again. This time Gail didn't push her away. She made her way up her neck before stopping to nibble on Gail's ear.

"I just might have to." Holly said as she starting pulling off Gail's shirt.

"You've got to stop doing that to me." Gail complained as she lay in bed, her head resting on Holly's stomach.

"Stop doing what? And do you really want it to stop?" Holly teased as she ran her hands through Gail's hair.

Gail groaned, she really didn't want Holly to stop. 'Damn, this girl is amazing.' Gail thought. She had no idea that sex could be _that _good. She smiled to herself and sat up. She grabbed her shirt that had been removed earlier and pulled it over her head. She got up and started walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Holly asked as she sat up, pulling the covers over her chest.

"To get my coffee that you so rudely distracted me from earlier." Gail said smugly as she walked out of the door. Holly grinned and started climbing out of bed. She grabbed her sweater and walked out of the bedroom, pulling it over her head. She walked up to Gail and grabbed the coffee mug that was in her hand.

"Hey!' Gail said as Holly turned around to go sit on the couch. She just grinned at Gail who poured another mug and followed Holly over to the couch. They sat on the couch, sipping their coffee and enjoying the peace. Holly got up and walked over to the kitchen. Gail didn't say anything, she just sat there sipping her coffee and watching Holly.

"How do you like your eggs?" Holly asked as she pulled a carton of eggs out the fridge and a frying pan out of the cupboard.

"I don't." Gail said flatly. Holly turned to look at her with a confused look on her face. "I don't like eggs." Gail said as she took another sip of her coffee.

"Ok then, what would you like for breakfast?" She asked as she put the eggs back in the fridge. Gail padded over to the kitchen and hopped up on the counter.

"Do you have cheerios?" She asked with a childish look on her face.

"Cheerios? Seriously? I offer to make you a nice, cooked breakfast and you want cheerios?" Holly asked with a mock offended look on her face. Gail just shrugged. Holly sighed and pointed at a bottom cupboard. "They're in there." She said. Gail hopped off the counter and grinned at Holly as she went to grab the box. She snuck around Holly who just stood in the kitchen watching her to get the carton of milk from the fridge. She poured the milk into the bowl and grabbed a spoon from Holly who had picked one up seconds earlier. Gail leaned against the counter as she took a spoonful of cheerios.

"What?" She asked, milk dripping out of her mouth. She reached up and wiped it off with the back of her hand. Holly giggled.

"You have the worst eating habits!" Holly exclaimed, shaking her head.

"At least I don't distract people from their morning coffee because that is just rude." Gail smirked back as she took another spoonful of her cheerios. Holly grinned back at her.

"You didn't seem like you minded." Holly smirked at her. Gail just stuck her tongue out and Holly laughed.

"I'm going to have a shower." She said as she walked to the bathroom. Gail just nodded and walked over to the couch. She grabbed the remote and changed it to the cartoon network. She had her cheerios, cartoons and a beautiful woman, what could make her day better?

"Is it ok if we go out his afternoon?" Holly asked, looking down at Gail who was lying on the floor, parallel to the couch that Holly was sitting on, her feet up on the coffee table.

"If that's what you want to do." Gail replied, reaching out to play with Holly's feet.

"Stop that! It tickles!" Holly exclaims laughing as she pulled her feet up under her on the couch.

"I know, that's why I'm doing it." Gail explained as she sits up to look at Holly. They had spent the day lazing around, not really doing anything and Holly was itching to go out. Holly stood and walked into the bedroom to get changed. Gail stood up and followed her. She flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"So where were you planning on going?" Gail asks.

"I don't know, I was just hoping to wander around, go window shopping… was there anything you wanted to do?" Holly asks pulling on a pair of jeans.

"No." Gail responded. She sat up and looked at Holly. Her eyes went wide, she looked amazing in those jeans, they flattered her in all the right places.

"Gail!" Gail looked up shocked. She was staring and Holly knew it.

"What?" Gail asked innocently. Holly laughed and shook her head.

"Are you ready to go?" Gail said changing the subject and hoping to avoid the fact that she was staring.

"Yeah, let's go." Holly said as she grabbed a coat out of the closet. The couple walked out the door and over to the elevator. As they stepped in Gail looped her arm through Holly's. Holly smiled to herself.

They turned out the doors and started walking down the street. It was 7:00 and the street lamps had just been turned on. There was a slight nip in the air, but that made the night just that much better.

After an hour of walking around and checking out the little shops, Holly was starting to get hungry.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Holly asked. Gail just nodded and turned back to kicking a rock. She had been out of it all afternoon. She seemed...distracted. Even this morning, she didn't seem focussed.

"Where do you want to go?" Holly asked, hoping she'd get an answer this time. Gail just shrugged. 'Ok then.' Holly thought. They walked a couple more blocks before Holly found the place she was looking for. She pulled Gail into a small diner and sat down at a booth. They ordered their dinner and then sat in silence. Holly couldn't take it anymore.

"Gail, what's the matter?

"Nothing." Gail replied as she poked her food around her plate. She didn't look up at Holly; she just stared at her plate. Holly knew that there was more than that.

"Gail, you and I both know that something's wrong." Holly replied. She hated seeing Gail like this, sullen and upset.

"I don't want to talk about it." Gail whispered.

"Ok, but if you ever do want to talk about it, I'm always here for you, no matter what." Holly said as she took Gail's hand into her own. Gail looked up at Holly and she could see in those ice blue eyes, that deep inside that Gail was hurting. But if Gail didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't push, that would only make it worse. They ate their dinner in silence, paid their bill and left. As they walked back to Holly's apartment, Gail reached out and entwined her fingers into Holly's. Holly could sense that Gail felt vulnerable, hence the hand holding.

They reached the apartment and stepped inside the elevator. The ride up was filled with tension. They stepped out and walked over to Holly's apartment. Holly unlocked the door and motioned to Gail to go in. She slowly walked in and kicked off her boots. She walked over to the couch and wrapped herself in Holly's blanket. Holly walked over to the kitchen and took two mugs out of the cupboard. "Tea?' She asked. "Yes please." She heard Gail say quietly. She filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. She leaned against the counter waiting for the distinct whistle that signaled that it was ready. She looked over at Gail, who was still sitting on the couch, wrapped in the blue blanket. Holly heard the whistle and took the kettle off the stove. She poured water in the two mugs and dropped the tea bags in. She walked over to the couch and handed one to Gail, who graciously accepted it.

"Holly."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for being so bitchy earlier." Gail paused and looked at Holly, who was looking at her with those deep brown eyes.

"I… uh… a few months back I was working a case trying to bust some guy, I don't remember much." Gail actually remembered every single little detail about it, but she didn't want get into all of it.

"Half way through the case, he… kidnapped me." Gail looked down at her hands. Holly reached out and grabbed one of them.

"The case ended with me being rescued and one of the detectives dying trying to save me." Gail felt the tear roll down her cheek, but she didn't bother trying to stop it.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't…" Holly started to say.

"It was a year ago today, that I was rescued and Jerry died." Gail swallowed.

"I closed up a lot after that. It was my way of dealing with the fact that Traci's fiancée died protecting me. I felt like his death was my fault." Gail couldn't stop the cascade of tears now.

"And the things that he did to me Holly, while I was kidnapped…" Gail couldn't finish her sentence. It hurt too much to revisit that memory, but she felt like it was something that Holly should know. Holly pulled Gail into her embrace and wrapped her arms around her. Holly could feel Gail's body shake as she whimpered.

"The nightmares are back, Holly. Last night, he was back. He strapped me down again… I tried to shake it off in the morning, but I kept seeing his face, hearing him laughing at me in my head all day." Gail whispered as she looked up at Holly, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Holly just pulled Gail tighter and rubbed her back.

"Why Gail? Why are they back?" Holly tried to calm Gail down and she felt Gail stop shaking and start to quiet down.

"I don't know. I just don't know." Gail sighed and looked up at Holly. Looking at Holly made everything feel better.

"Don't worry, you're safe with me. You always will be." Holly reassured her. 'So this is what was bugging Gail all night.' Holly thought. 'No wonder she didn't want to talk about it in the restaurant.'

"Why don't you head to bed?" Holly suggested as she unwrapped her arms from around her. Gail sniffled and nodded. She sat up and unwrapped herself from the blanket. She starting walking towards the bedroom, when she reached the door, she turned around.

"Will to come with?" She asked; her face still red from crying. Holly nodded, Gail needed comfort right now.

"I'll be there in a minute." She answered softly. Gail turned around, stripped down and crawled into the bed. Holly got up and brought the mugs into the kitchen, where she placed them in the sink before making her way to the bedroom. "I'll be right out." Holly said as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door. She looked into the mirror. She knew Gail had been through a lot emotionally, but his was a whole new level. Not to mention the physical part of the torture she must have endured. 'She's been through so much, no wonder she's so closed to everybody.' Holly brushed her teeth and changed. She opened the door and walked over to the bed where Gail was wrapped up in the covers. She crawled into bed and turned off the lamp. As she lay down she felt Gail shift and lay closer to her. She wrapped her arms around the blond as Gail snuggled closer, eliminating the space between them.

"Don't worry, baby, I'm right here." Holly whispered in her ear as she closed her eyes.

"I know…" Gail whispered back as she fell asleep, wrapped up in the comfort of Holly's arms.


	7. Chapter 7-Hurting On the Inside

**A/N: Sorry for no update yesterday. I had diner with family so i was forced to be social. :) Bu here it is now, so review, favorite and enjoy! **

Gail woke up to an empty bed. She looked over her shoulder and was surprised not to see Holly. She quickly sat up. "Holly?" She asked. This was exactly what she was afraid of, revealing herself, her deepest secrets and inner feelings to someone; and then them deciding that they can't handle her emotional baggage (and there was a lot of it) and running off.

"Holly? Holly?" She called out again, the panic in her voice rising and her calls becoming louder. She started panicking; Holly wouldn't have been the first one to run off. She heard footsteps and saw Holly's head peak in the doorway. She saw the panic in Gail's eyes and climbed into the bed to wrap Gail in her arms again. She felt Gail clutch at her arms as she rubbed the blonde's back.

"It's ok, I'm here now. Shhhh." She said as she held Gail in her arms. "What happened?" She asked as she looked at Gail. Gail looked up at her with those sad, ice blue eyes. Holly could see that she was still hurting.

"I… thought you had left me." Gail admitted as she curled back into a ball in Holly's arms.

Holly was confused. "Why would I ever leave you?"

Gail sat up and looked into Holly's deep brown eyes and knew from the look on Holly's face that she could tell her anything. She sighed. "I haven't had all the best luck with relationships Holly, you probably guessed that. After I would let someone in, they would decide that I had too much baggage and leave before I was awake. When I woke up and you weren't there… I panicked and assumed you had left, just like the others."

Holly understood now. "Gail, opening up to me like that was a big step for you. It showed me that you trust me with all that… baggage. I like you Gail, and if I want you than I have to accept all baggage that comes with you. And I'm ready to do that."

Gail sniffled. "Really?" She whispered.

Holly looked down at Gail and smiled. "Yes."  
Gail smiled and buried her head in Holly's neck. "Good. 'Cause I don't think I could live without you." She looked up at Holly, with a grin on her face and asked "So what are you cooking me for breakfast?"

Holly laughed. "Well, I was going to start cooking some pancakes…"

"Good, I love pancakes." Gail said as she unwrapped herself from Holly and jumped up from bed. Holly could tell that Gail was feeling better. She got up and followed Gail into the kitchen, where she had hopped up on the counter twirling a spoon. Holly started pulling ingredients from the fridge and bowls from the cupboard.

"Here" She said handing Gail some ingredients and a bowl. "Start measuring and mixing." She turned back around to get the stove started.

"Yes chef." Gail said as she turned around and starting cracking eggs. A few minutes later, a sizzling sound and the smell of pancakes filled the apartment. Holly plated pancakes for each of them and set them on the island. She opened the fridge and door and reached for the maple syrup. She and Gail sat down and Gail reached for the syrup. Holly watched as Gail drowned her pancakes.

"Do you want some pancakes with that syrup?" Holly asked giggling.

Gail looked at her. "Do I judge you about your eating habits Holly, no." She said as she shoveled a dripping piece of pancake into her mouth. Holly just looked at her as she ate her pancakes.

* * *

"I have to head back to my place tonight; I didn't bring my extra uniform with me." Gail said as she looked over at Holly, who was typing away at her laptop. Gail walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her neck, resting her head on Holly's.

"What are you doing?" Gail asked.

"Work, my boss just sent me three case reports that he wants by tomorrow, so guess what I'm doing this afternoon." Holly replied as she sighed.

Gail removed her arms and started massaging Holly's shoulders. She heard Holly moan and drop her head forward.

"That feels so good." Holly exclaimed as she closed her eyes and let Gail work her magic. Gail rubbed her hands into the tight knots of Holly's back for the next 30 minutes.

"Where did you learn that?" Holly asked after Gail had stopped. Gail just shrugged.

She walked over to the couch and picked up a book. Holly turned back around and started working on her reports again. She decided that maybe some music would be a good idea. She turned on the radio and heard the country station came on. She started to change it when she heard Gail speak up.

"Stop!" Holly turned around, surprised by Gail's sudden outburst. "I mean, can you just leave it on that, please." Gail looked bashful as she said it.

"I would have never have pegged you for a country fan." Holly said as she smiled at Gail.

"I'm not." Gail retorted back. "But I like this song." Holly didn't recognize the song, but then again, she rarely listened to country music.

"It's 'Give it All We Got Tonight' by George Strait. My grandparents danced to this song at their wedding" Gail whispered as she walked over to Holly.

"Dance with me?" Gail asked, holding her hand out to Holly. Holly grabbed her hand and stood up. Gail led her to the middle of the room and put one hand on Holly's shoulder and grasped Holly's hand in her other. Holly reached up and placed her hand on Gail's waist.

They heard the music start and Gail rested her head on Holly's shoulder as they danced around the room, slowly and quietly, savoring the moment. Holly looked down at Gail, whose head was still on her shoulder and smiled. This woman made her world spin round and made her feel like she was floating whenever she was around. Her touch made her skin tingle, like fireworks and her smile completely melted Holly on the inside. And while Gail was resting her head on Holly's shoulder, she was thinking the exact same thing about Holly.

_July moonlight shines;_  
_Your pretty little head on my shoulder/ pull over, to the side of the road_  
_Oh my god you're something, like nothing I've ever seen_  
_If I'm asleep girl, let me dream._

_Baby fall into my kiss, it should just happen like this_  
_Trust it, so much that, there's no one else but us and_  
_It's a moment that says it's so right/ cause that's all we have in this life_  
_Drink up, this love, baby, give it all we've got tonight._

_Summer honey suckle, you can feel the roll down window,_  
_We both know, when that seat lays back, anything can happen_  
_So imagine, it'll never end, just close your eyes, and you can see,_  
_We're all where we're meant to be._

_Baby fall into my kiss, it should just happen like this_  
_Trust it, so much that, there's no one else but us and_  
_It's a moment that says it's so right/ cause that's all we have in this life_  
_Drink up, this love, baby, give it all we've got tonight._  
_Give it all we got tonight._

_Baby fall into my kiss, it should just happen like this_  
_Trust it, so much that, there's no one else but us and_  
_It's a moment that says it's so right/ cause that's all we have in this life_  
_Drink up, this love, come on, and give it all we've got tonight._

* * *

They had just finished eating dinner. Holly picked up their dishes and placed them in the sink. Gail stood up and stretched. She should probably head back to her place, but she really didn't want to leave Holly's.

"I should probably leave." Gail moaned as she walked over to Holly and placed her head on Holly's shoulder. Holly sighed, this weekend had been perfect. Just the two of them together. Gail took her head off of Holly's shoulder and grabbed her overnight bag from the couch. She walked over to the door and started to put her shoes on. Holly stopped what she was doing and went over to say goodbye.

"This weekend was perfect." She said as she leaned her forehead against Gail's "Hmmm." Gail replied as she wrapped her arms around Holly's waist and puller her closer. Holly looked up into Gail's blue eyes and met her halfway for a kiss. It was slow, and gentle, savoring the moment. Gail pulled away and looked up into Holly's eyes. She had to leave, but she couldn't pull herself out of Holly's arms.

"You are making to very hard to leave right now, you now that right?" Gail asked with a grin on her face. Holly just smirked back at her.  
"I'll take that as a complement." Holly said, as she unwrapped her arms from around Gail. She sighed as she picked up her bag and opened the door. She looked back at Holly.

"See ya later nerd." She grinned and walked out the door towards the elevator. She was sad that the weekend was over, but it was a wonderful way to spend the weekend. She decided to hail a cab instead of walking home. She gave the cabby her address and looked out the window as he pulled away from the curb. A few minutes later he pulled up in front of her flat and she paid him. She walked up the steps and opened the door. She saw Chris and Dov sitting on the couch arguing over whose turn it was to decide which movie to watch.

"Miss me?" She asked sarcastically as she threw her bag in her room and went to the fridge to grab a beer.

"How was your weekend with Holly?" Chris asked as he turned around to face Gail.

"It was good." She answered as she took a gulp of her beer. She sat down on the couch opposite the guys.

"Gail…" Chris started to say.

Gail looked up at him with intent eyes.

"We're, uh, glad you found someone that makes you happy. It doesn't matter if she's a girl." Chris stammered.

"Thank you Chris." Gail said calmly as she took another sip of her beer.

Chris looked a little more relaxed now that Gail hadn't snapped at him for bringing Holly up. "Maybe you should bring her to The Penny sometime." He suggested.

Gail pondered the idea. "Maybe I will." She said as she stood up. She tossed her beer can in the recycling and starting walking to her bedroom. "'Night losers." She called over her shoulder as she closed the door. 'Maybe I should introduce Holly to the rest of them.' Gail thought as she got changed. 'Most of them already know about her.' Gail as seriously thinking that tomorrow night she would bring Holly to The Penny after work. She crawled into bed and turned out the light. After all, if she and Holly were a couple, she should meet her friends.


	8. Chapter 8-How It Feels

**A/N: Right now it is snowing like crazy and I just finished watching Rookie Blue. Anyways, please review, favorite and enjoy!**

Gail woke up to the beeping off her alarm clock. She rolled over and slapped her hand down, trying to hit the snooze button. When she couldn't find it, she just rolled back and pulled her pillow over her head to muffle the noise.

A few minutes later, someone started banging at her door.

"What!?" She yelled out from underneath her pillow.

"Turn your alarm off!" She heard Dov shout as he opened the door.

"Go away!" She shouted as she threw her pillow at him. He caught it and threw it back at her.

"Besides, it's time to get up." He walked out the door, leaving it wide open. Gail groaned and threw back the covers. She shut the door and stripped off her t-shirt and sweatpants and exchanged them for a clean uniform. She threw a pair of clean clothes in her bag and walked out to the kitchen.

Dov was grabbing his boots and Chris was waiting at the door. Gail walked over and put on her shoes. They walked out to Chris' car and climbed in.

"I think I'm going to bring Holly to The Penny tonight." Gail said from the passenger seat.

Chris smiled. "That's great! Everybody might as well meet her, since you two have become so close."

"Yeah, I figured with us being a couple and everything that I should introduce her to my friends." Gail said plainly as she looked out the window.

Dov piped out from the back seat. "Well, it's good that she makes you happy." Gail smiled. They reached the precinct and Chris pulled into the parking lot. They got out and walked to the change room. Gail threw her bag in her locker and walked into parade. She looked around and sat down besides Oliver.

"Ok, assignments are on the board. Go out there and keep this city safe. Let's all come home tonight." Frank said as he clapped his hands. Gail stood up and walked over to the board. She ran her finger down the list.

"Please don't be, please don't be…no." Gail said disappointedly. She was paired with Nick. She really didn't want to deal with him today. Nick walked over and peered over her shoulder.

"Looks like we're riding together today, Peck." He said. Gail just nodded her head. She walked out and grabbed the keys for the squad car. She opened the trunk and threw her bag in. She climbed in the passenger seat and waited for Nick. He climbed in and she handed him the keys.

"Thanks." He said as he started the car. Gail didn't reply, she just looked out the window. He pulled the car out of the lot and turned out on the street.

"Gail, I am so sorry…" He started to say.

Gail cut him off. "No you're not. You know why, because if you really had loved me, you would have admitted you cheated. No, instead you denied it and I had to hear it from Andy. Andy. Do you know how hard that was? She was my friend, Nick. And you ruined that by sleeping with her while we were still together. And for that reason, no matter how much you say you are sorry, you will never, never be truly sorry." Gail sighed and looked out the window, she really didn't want to go through that today, but he had brought it up.

Nick just sat there, mouth open, speechless and shocked. Gail didn't feel bad at all, he deserved it after all.

"Yeah, Nick, That's how I felt when I leaned that you cheated, speechless."  
Nick swallowed. "Ok." Was all he managed to croak. With that, neither of them said another word on the matter. They sat in sullen silence. It was going to be a long day..

* * *

Gail returned from patrolling and went to get changed. She shut her locker door and saw Traci waling in.

"You're coming to The Penny, right?" Traci asked.

Gail nodded. "Yeah, and I'm bringing Holly along." She said.

Traci smiled. "That's great!" I'll see you there!" She said and walked off. Gail started towards the morgue. She stood in the doorway, watching Holly work away at whatever case she was on. Her hair was falling around her face and she had that expression on her face that meant she was focused on whatever she was doing. She looked so adorable. 'I've got to stop before I start drooling.' Gail thought. After a few minutes, she finally spoke up.

"Hey." She said, still standing in the doorway. Holly looked up and turned around. As soon as she saw Gail, a smile crept across her face. She walked over and went to give Gail a kiss, but she backed away.

"How many times have we've been over this Holly? No kissing while you're covered in guts and formaldehyde." Gail said, half joking, half serious. Holly just laughed.

"I should be done in a few minutes." She said as she turned around and resumed cleaning up.

"Holly, I was wondering if you wanted to come to The Penny tonight with me, and meet my friends." Gail asked shyly. Holly turned around and looked at Gail.

"Babe, I would love to!" Holly exclaimed. Gail grinned.

"Good, 'cause I already told them you were coming." Gail looked at her phone. "And you'd better hurry up, Chris just texted me asking when we were coming." Holly smiled and stripped off her gloves. She threw them in the garbage and tossed her lab coat on the hook. She picked her purse up from the chair wand walked over to Gail.

"Let's go." She said. The two walked out and Gail reached for Holly's hand. They walked across the street to The Penny. As they walked in, Gail looked around for her friends. She spotted them at a table in the back. She took a deep breath. Before she started, Holly stopped her.

"Gail, if you're too nervous, you don't have to do this." Holly said with a serious look on her face. Gail looked back at her.

"Too late." She said. "They're already expecting you." With that, she led Holly to the group of officers who looked up at the new arrivals. Gail took a deep breath.

"Everybody this is my…girlfriend Holly." She loved the fact that Gail was brave enough to call her, her girlfriend, in front of everybody. Holly smiled and waved with her free hand, Gail was still holding her other hand. Everybody smiled and waved back.

"Holly this is Oliver, Andy, Nick, Dov, Chris, Sam, Chloe, Steve, Celery and Traci." She said as she pointed to her fellow officers, the detectives and Oliver's girlfriend.

"Come, pull up a seat!" Oliver said, making Gail feel a little more relaxed. Holly sat down beside Traci.

"I'm going to get us some drinks." Gail whispered in Holly's ear and she nodded back. Traci stood up and followed her to the bar. Gail ordered a drink for Holly and herself.

"Holly seems like a nice person." Traci commented as Gail waited for their drinks. "She seems to really like you, Gail."  
Gail smiled. "And, it seems like her cheerfulness is rubbing off on you." She said as she lightly punched Gail on the arm. Gail feigned hurt. Traci laughed. The bartender handed Gail the drinks and she thanked him.

"Well, it's good to see you so happy." Traci said as the ladies walked back to the tables where Holly was chatting with Celery. "And she's getting along with everybody. See? This wasn't such a bad idea." Gail walked up to Holly and handed her drink. She gratefully accepted it and took a sip. Gail sat down beside her.

"So Holly, what do you do for a living?" Chris asked from across the table.

"I'm a forensic pathologist." Holly replied. Dov and Chris looked at Holly with blank faces. "She examines dead bodies." Gail said, taking a sip of her drink. Holly laughed.

"That's interesting. And your lab is set on the second level of 15, is it not?" Oliver commented, looking at Gail.

"Yes it is, my lab takes the forensic work for 15 and some surrounding divisions." Holly said.

They all talked for a while. Gail decided that she had had enough and was ready to call it a night. She stood up and tapped on Holly's shoulder. Holly turned around and looked up at Gail.

"You ready to go?" Gail asked putting on her coat.  
"Yeah." Holly stood up and grabbed her coat off the back of her chair. "It was really nice meeting all of you guys." She said, waving at everybody.

"You too." Most of them responded. They walked out the door and Gail looped her arm through Holly's. She raised her arm to call for a cab. The cab ride home was silent, with Holly resting her arm around Gail's shoulder and Gail resting her head on Holly. They reached Holly's apartment and stepped into the elevator. They reached her floor and walked around the corner to Holly's door. She unlocked the door and the couple walked inside.

Gail kicked off her boots and went over to sit on the couch.

"Everybody seemed really nice." Holly said, following Gail to the couch.

"Yeah, they seemed to like you.' Gail commented. She shuffled over close to closer and put her lips close to Holly's ear.

"But enough about them." She said in a husky voice that turned Holly to mush.

Holly decided to tease Gail a little first. "Is this why you wanted to leave, so we could make out on the couch like a couple of teenagers?" She smirked at Gail.

"Well I certainly didn't plan on making out with you in front of them." Gail responded as she played with the bottom of Holly's shirt. Holly smiled.

"Well we're here now, now what?" Gail leaned in to meet Holly halfway for the kiss. Gail reached up and grabbed Holly's head in her hands. Holly smiled and Gail slipped her tongue into her mouth. Holly groaned and slipped her hands underneath Gail's shirt. Gail's tongue played around until it found Holly's, which made Gail moan with pleasure. Holly pushed Gail down by her shoulder's until she was sitting over Gail, her hands drawing patterns on Gail's skin, making it tingle. Gail started to un-button her shirt, when Holly pulled away.

"Let's take this to the bedroom." She whispered into Gail's ear. She sat up and pulled Gail into the bedroom.

* * *

They lay on the bed, wrapped up in each other and the covers. Gail could still feel Holly's hands on her, caressing her, leaving her touch everywhere. Sex with Holly just got better each time. Gail looked over at the clock, it was 11:00.

"I should really go." She said, turning to face Holly. Holly groaned and reached out to trail her fingers across Gail's stomach, exciting a groan from her.

"You're making it extremely hard to leave right now." Gail complained.

"Maybe that's the point." Holly said, trailing her fingers down lower to where the skin of her leg met her waist. Gail moaned again. She grabbed Holly's hand and pulled it up so it was in between their faces.

"I really have to go and you" She said pointing at Holly's hand with her free hand. "Are making it very, very hard." Holly just grinned at her. She sat up and started putting her clothes back on. Holly sat up and pulled the covers over her chest.

As soon as Gail got finished getting dressed, she hopped up on the bed to kiss Holly goodbye. Holly pulled her down and deepened the kiss. Gail pulled away and smile at her. "You..." She said as she went down for another kiss. "…Are amazing." She whispered as she looked at Holly. Holly smiled at her.

"I know." Holly smirked. "So are you." She whispered as she pulled Gail down for one last kiss.

"Bye nerd." Gail said as she walked out of the bedroom towards the door. She opened it and stepped outside. Holly heard the door shut and she rolled over, knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now.

* * *

Gail walked home in the dark, with the street lights illuminating her path. She loved spending time with Holly, even if it was just a couple of hours.

She reached her flat and walked up the steps. She dug her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. The lights were out, indicating that the guys had already gone to sleep. She quietly closed the door and crept to her bedroom, trying not to wake them. She slipped out of clothes out and climbed into bed.

She heard her phone buzz and she rummaged through her pants trying to find it. It was a text from Holly.

_Did you make it home ok?_ She smiled; she loved the way that Holly worried about her. She tapped out her reply.

_Why, were you worried?_

_About you, of course not!_ Gail smiled.

_Good night, officer. Xo._

Good night, nerd. Gail put her phone on the table and crawled back into bed. She had slept with Holly so often that it felt weird not sleeping with her in her bed. She curled up and closed her eyes. She could still taste Holly on her lips and feel her touch on her body, relaxing her into sleep.


	9. Chapter 9-You're All Mine

**A/N: Thank you for all your support guys! As always, please review and favorite! Enjoy the new year! **

Holly woke up, tangled in the covers, with the taste of the tequila that Gail was so fond of still on her lips. That woman was incredible in so many ways. She could still feel Gail's touch on her skin, leaving a tingle across her body. She rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 6:30. She slowly sat up and stretched.

It was probably best that she got up, before she fell back asleep and was late for work. She sat on the edge of the bed before standing up and walking over to the bathroom. There was another toothbrush on the counter. Gail was staying over here so often that she kept a toothbrush here. Holly smiled to herself.

'My girlfriend Gail.' She loved the sound of it. And the fact that Gail had called Holly her girlfriend in front of her friends made it just that much better.  
She washed her face and brushed her teeth. She walked back out her bedroom and pulled a pair of jeans and a button up blouse. The collar would hide the hickey that Gail had left on her neck last night. She smiled at the memory.

The way Gail's lips felt on hers, on her skin, the way she trailed her fingers down towards… 'You're going to be late Holly.' She thought to herself. She walked out to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee to go. She walked out the apartment towards the car.

As she turned on the car, the country station came on. 'I don't even like country.' She thought to herself as she reached to change the station, but she stopped herself. The song sounded familiar. It was the song that she and Gail had danced to. She sat there, listening to it, remembering the way that Gail had walked over to her and asked her to dance. That was the soft side of Gail that didn't come out that often.

She knew she was lucky; Gail rarely let anybody in like that. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove to work, listening to the song. She reached the precinct and made her way up towards the morgue.

When she was ready, there were already three bodies waiting to be examined. She sighed; she knew she wasn't going to get a break today. She started on the first body, when her lab assistant walked in. She liked Laura; she was efficient and quick to learn, unlike her last assistant. He screwed everything up and was always mixing up samples, leaving Holly to sort out the mess. Laura had been here for two years, and she had experience from interning at other labs across the city.

"Who is she?" Laura asked with a huge grin as she walked in to the lab from the storage room. She rested her elbows on the gurney and gave Holly a curious smile. Holly laughed and turned to look back at the body that was lying on the table.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Holly lied, not bothering to look at Laura because she knew the woman would call her out on it.

"Come on, Holly. It's obvious. Who is she?" Laura was clearly not giving up any time soon. Holly decided not to give in so easily.

"How do you figure that there is someone?" Holly asked, still focusing on her work.

"Well, there are a couple of reasons. One, you look like that smile is about melt right off your face. Two, you're trying to cut a patellar with a pair of scissors." Holly focused her eyes, she swore she picked up a scalpel, but she wouldn't admit that to Laura, it would only prove her point even more.

"Three, there's a picture of her kissing your cheek on your phone. And finally, four, I was at the penny when you two walked in holding hands." Laura grinned wildly at Holly, who just shook her head at the woman and turned back to her body.

"Congratulations, you should think about changing to a detective." Holly replied sarcastically as she exchanged her pair of scissors for a scalpel.

"So, who is she?" Laura asked, repeating the question that Holly had unsuccessfully avoided.

"Her name's Gail." Holly said, not turning to look at her.

"Well, judging from the picture on your phone and the grin on your face, you've scored a good one!" Laura said as she laughed and walked back to the storage room.

'Yes, yes I have.' Holly thought to herself.

* * *

Gail walked into parade, when she heard Frank calling her name.

"Peck! Epstein! Go with Swarek!" Gail turned to see Sam leaning in the door. She walked over to him and he stood up.

"We're doing an undercover operation. You're with me." He said walking out the door. Gail followed him to a room where Traci, Steve and Dov were already sitting. She sat down beside Dov.

Sam clapped his hands together. "Ok! Everybody's here. So, we are carrying out an undercover operation with Guns and Gangs." He said pointing at Steve. "The Diablo Gang is moving loads of weapons across the Province to ship them to Mexico. You're job" He said pointing at Gail and Dov. "Is to get in with their gang and find out where they're storing the guns."

"I've already put word in with a member that two new people would be trying to join, so they're expecting you. The operation is based in Perth, so you'll be living there for about three weeks." Gail mind immediately went to Holly. Undercover meant no contact with their real life.

"You will be driven there tonight. So, the rest of today is all about briefing and preparing your identities. Follow Traci to the prep room." Sam said. They all stood up and walked down the hall to a room with all their false documents and clothes.

They spent the rest of the day prepping their stories and sorting out contacts and living quarters. It was 9:00 when Sam announced that they had an hour to break, and then they would leave.

Gail hoped Holly would still be in the lab. She walked up to the morgue and was relieved to see Holly standing over the gurney, working on a case. Gail stood in the doorway and cleared her throat. Holly turned around and her face lit up when she saw Gail standing there.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" She asked.

"We need to talk." Gail said with a serious look on her face.  
Holly's face immediately went pale and she started to worry. She felt the lump in her throat start to grow. She threw her gloves in the garbage and walked over to Gail.

"Baby? What's the matter?" She asked quietly grabbing Gail's hands.  
Gail looked up at Holly, into her deep brown eyes. "I have to leave tonight, for an undercover operation."

"How long will you be gone?"

"That's the problem. I'll be living in Perth for six weeks." Gail said looking down at her hands entwined in Holly's.

"Oh."

"Yeah. So I decided that we will spend the next hour together before I leave." Gail said.

"But I'm working…" Holly started to say.

"I'll sit here and watch, as long as I'm with you." Gail said pulling Holly into a kiss.

Holly pulled back and smiled. "Ok. Just don't touch anything!"

"Yeah yeah." Gail said hopping up on the desk. They spent the next hour talking and just enjoying each other's company before Gail had to leave. Gail looked at her phone and frowned.

"I have to go." She said; her voice barely loud enough to hear. Holly walked over to the garbage and threw her gloves out. She placed he lab coat on the chair and walked over to Gail. Gail hopped off the desk and wrapped her arms around Holly's neck. Holly wrapped her arms around Gail's waist and pulled her in closer, eliminating the space between them. She placed her forehead against Gail's, breathing in her familiar scent.

"I'm going to miss you so much." Holly said, a tear running town her cheek.

Gail nodded. She could feel the tears starting to form in her eyes. "Me too." She leaned in to give Holly a kiss, that familiar feeling that she loved so much and the taste of Holly. She was going to miss that. Holly pulled back. Gail saw the worry in Holly's eyes. "Be safe." She whispered as she buried her face in Gail's neck.

Gail nodded. "I will, don't worry." Holly looked up at Gail; she was going to miss those ice blue eyes. She leaned in to give Gail one last kiss. They pulled away and Gail stepped back.

"Be safe officer." Holly said; her voice cracking.  
Gail smiled sadly. "Good bye, nerd." With that she walked out of the morgue and headed back towards the prep room. Holly sighed and sat down in her chair.

Gail walked into the prep room and grabbed her bag of clothes that she would be using for the operation and her fake id. They walked out and climbed in the van. Gail threw her bag in the back.

"You ok, Gail?" Dov asked as he sat in the seat beside her.

Gail swallowed. "Yeah." She whispered. She looked out the window. "Bye, nerd." She whispered to herself as Sam pulled onto the road.

* * *

Holly finished her work and started tidying up. She grabbed her phone and looked at the time. It had been only half an hour since Gail left, but she already missed her. She knew that Gail loved her job as a cop, but Holly always worried about her. She grabbed her purse and locked up the lab. She walked out to her car. She noticed a sticky note left on her windshield. She picked it up and smiled.

Gail had left a goodbye not before she left. It was reassuring to Holly. It showed that Gail cared about her, that she was in this. She stuffed the note in her pocket and unlocked her car. She drove home with the radio playing in the background.

She reached the apartment and stepped into the elevator. She couldn't take her mind off of Gail. That woman was the only thing in her head. She stepped out of the elevator and walked to her door. She unlocked it and stepped inside. It was quiet, Gail wasn't there, venting about her day. She kicked off her shoes and flopped down on the couch.

She didn't feel like cooking or going out. She walked over to the fridge and was surprised to find a bowl of spaghetti. She pulled it out and popped in it the microwave. She poured herself a glass of milk and took her spaghetti to the couch. She turned on the TV. It was still turned on the cartoon network from when Gail had stayed over. She sighed and turned it off. She looked down at her food and realized she really wasn't hungry.

She got up and threw the food in the garbage. She placed her hands on the counter and dropped her head. She and Gail were going so good together, and then up pops this undercover mission. But Gail couldn't really do anything about it. She stood up and walked to her bedroom. She undressed and pulled on an old t-shirt, one that Gail had slept in previous nights. It still smelled off her perfume.

Holly pulled the shirt up to her nose and breathed in Gail's familiar scent. For the second time that day, she felt the tears cascading down her cheek.

She climbed up on the bed and pulled the covers tightly around her body. She tried to let her mind wander, to lull her into sleep, but her thoughts always went back to Gail.

"Good night, babe." She whispered, knowing that Gail couldn't hear her, but hoping somehow she got her message.


	10. Chapter 10-Then You Came Along

Gail woke up in a dirty flat, not unlike the one at home. Except, it was only her and Dov and she wasn't waking up to Holly sleeping beside her. She tried to remember how she got there, than it all came back to her. Sam announcing that she was to go undercover, telling Holly she had to leave, the drive up…

She sat up and looked around. Her bag had been thrown on the floor the night before. She got up and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. She walked into the kitchen and starting fiddling with the coffee maker. She heard a door open and she looked up to see Dov walking towards her.

He was wearing a pair of shorts and his hair was all over the place. She handed him a cup of coffee before pouring herself one.

They sat down at the island and Dov was the first one to break the silence.

"So, after this, we should get dressed and head out." He said, taking a sip of his coffee, waiting for Gail to respond.

She looked up at him and nodded. It was Day 1 of the six week operation. She stood up and placed her mug in the sink. She went to her room to get changed. She toyed with the wire she was supposed to wear when they went out; trying to get it so it would record their conversations without it being noticed by the gang.

When she finally got it, she walked out to the kitchen, where Dov was already waiting for her.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Let's do this." Gail responded, opening the door and stepping out.

* * *

Holly woke up, feet freezing, reminding her that for the next six weeks, this was how she was going to wake up. She rolled over and sat up. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt. As she was getting dressed, she noticed a shirt hiding underneath one of her pillows.

She pulled it out; it was one of Gail's shirts. She smiled, with all her clothing here; it kinda felt like Gail was still with her. But she knew that these next few weeks would be Gail-less.

She stepped out of bed and got dressed. She grabbed her coat and purse and stepped out the door, locking it as she left.

She stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor. She walked out to her car and started the engine. She reached the precinct and made her way up to the morgue. She threw her coat on her chair and put on her lab coat. Laura walked holding a tray of samples. As she walked over to put them on the counter, she asked "So, how's Gail?"

"She's away on an undercover operation." Holly responded flatly, taking the samples over to her desk.

"For how long?" Laura pushed.

"Six weeks." Holly responded, she could feel the lump in her throat coming back. Laura didn't respond, she just walked back from wherever she had come from and left Holly alone. Holly swallowed and focused on the samples in front of her. The work helped keep her mind off Gail, which was good.

She spent the next couple of hours sorting, testing and labeling samples. She looked up at the clock, it was 12:30. 'I guess I could break for lunch.' She decided. She took of her gloves and coat and washed her hands.

"I'm heading out for lunch!" She called out to Laura, who stuck a thumb up out of the storage room as her reply. Holly grabbed her purse and walked downstairs. As she was walking towards the doors, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hey!"

She turned around, it was Traci. She had met Traci at The Penny when Gail had introduced her to all her friends. Traci was funny and caring; Holly had immediately liked her.

"Hey!"

"Are you heading out to lunch?" Traci asked.

"Yeah, I figured I better eat before I pass out." It had been a while since she had last eaten.

Traci laughed. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"No, not at all. It'll be nice to have some company." Holly responded.

The ladies walked out and walked a couple blocks to the sandwich shop.

"Did Gail show you this place?" Traci asked as they walked in. Holly nodded. They ordered their sandwiches and sat down. Traci broke the silence.

"So you and Gail are getting pretty serious?" Traci asked, taking a bite of her sandwich. Holly nodded.

Traci continued. "Well, I'm glad. I've never seen her like this before."

Holly looked up at Traci. "What do you mean?" She asked

"You should have seen her before. She was this grumpy sour thing, never opening up to anybody. Then you came along." Traci nodded at Holly's shock.

"I knew that she was grumpy, but was she really that bad?" Holly asked

Traci nodded. "It's good that she found someone that she can be herself around." Traci stood up and threw her wrapper in the garbage. "Ready to go?" She asked. Holly nodded and stood up. They walked back to the precinct in silence. As Holly turned to walk up to the morgue, Traci put a hand on her shoulder.

"She'll be back in no time, don't worry." Traci said as she walked back to her desk. 'Was it really that obvious that she missed Gail that much?' Holly smiled and continued her way up to the morgue.

'Let's hope so.' Holly thought

* * *

Gail and Dov walked back to their flat. It had been a successful first day. The gang knew who they were and that they wanted in. It was a good start to the operation. They reached the flat and walked inside. Gail kicked off her shoes and went straight to her room to get out of her issued clothes.

She gently took off the wire, care not to break it and set it on the shelf. She pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. She walked out to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Dov followed behind her and sat on the opposite end. They were both exhausted from the day's work.

Gail desperately wanted to talk to Holly, but the rules of undercover said otherwise. As cool as undercover operations were, she hated that you had no contact with your regular life back home. If the gang members found their personnel phones and figured out that they were cops; things could go bad very, very quick.

So, they weren't permitted to have their regular phones with them; they were given new phones to be used for the operation. She could tell that Dov was itching to talk to Chloe. To distract them from their lives back home, they had sent an Xbox with them to amuse themselves during their time off.

Gail sat up and walked over to the TV to grab the Xbox controllers.

"At least they gave us an Xbox to keep us busy." Gail commented as she handed a controller to Dov. It was also a good way to distract her from Holly. They spent the next few hours eating the cheap pizza they ordered and playing Xbox. Gail looked at her phone.

"I'm heading to bed. 'Night." She said ruffling Dov's hair and walking to her bedroom. She took off her clothes and crawled into bed in her bra and panties. The bed felt empty without Holly beside her, cuddling. She curled up and closed her eyes.

* * *

Holly was exhausted. It was 9:00 before she got out of the lab. She had stopped by a grocery store on her way home and had bought a case of beer and some instant noodles for dinner. It wasn't much, but it would do. She walked up to her apartment and stepped into the elevator. She heard the ding and stepped out. She walked down the hall and with her free, dug her keys out of her pocket. As she pulled her hand out of her pocket, a note fell out. She bent over to pick it up.

It was the note that Gail had left on her windshield. Holly smiled to herself.

She unlocked the door and threw her stuff on the counter. She put the noodles in the microwave and opened up a can of beer. She pulled the noodles out the microwave and grabbed her beer and went to sit on the couch. She turned on the TV and was just in time to catch the Leafs game.

The Game was done and so were three of her cans of beer. She stood up and threw the rest of the beer in the fridge and the bowl in the sink.  
She walked over to the bedroom and stripped down. She walked over to the bedroom and brushed her teeth.

She looked in the mirror; her face was tired and rightfully so. She had worked 13 hours in the lab that day. She splashed water on her face and walked over to her bed. She crawled in and wrapped the covers around her body. She was freezing. She usually had Gail's body with her to keep her warm.

She turned out the lamp and fell asleep quickly, with Gail's sticky note goodbye clenched in her hand.


	11. Chapter 11-As the Days Go By

A week had gone by since Gail had left for the undercover operation. The operation was going smoothly. She and Dov were in with the gang already. She was sitting in the flat with Dov and on the couch, eating some cheap, Chinese food that tasted as if it had been sitting out for a week.

But Gail didn't care. She was starving. Gail finished her noodles and grabbed a spring roll from Dov's container.

"Hey!" He said in protest. He tried to grab it back from her, but Gail pulled her hand back just in time.

"What?" She said, giving him a smug grin before shoving the roll in her mouth. Dov pouted. He hated when she stole his food.

She chewed the spring roll and swallowed, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. "This would taste a whole lot better with alcohol." She commented.

Dove rolled his eyes at her. "You think everything tastes better with alcohol." He said.

Gail threw her arms in the air. "What can I say; it makes everything a whole lot happier."

Dov looked at his feet and grinned. "Yeah, well, alcohol wasn't the only thing making you happy back home." He looked up at Gail who was giving him one her famous icy glares.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, raising her eyebrow in curiosity.

"Nothing. I'm just saying since you and Holly started dating, you've been a lot…happier." He said shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't the only one back at home who noticed it either.

"So she makes me happy. I can go back to grumpy Gail if you like?" She asked, faking sweetness.

"Never mind, forget I even brought it up." With that, Dov stood up and threw his empty Chinese container in the garbage. He walked towards the bedroom, but stopped before he walked in. He turned and looked at Gail.

"I like the nice side of Gail better; she doesn't hit me as often." Dov grinned and ducked into his bedroom before Gail could come up with a snarky remark. Gail sighed. Holly did make her happy; she felt good being around Holly, like all her troubles just melted away. She stood up and threw out her garbage.

She really wished she had alcohol to wash down that nasty takeout. She walked into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She padded into her bedroom and shut the door. She undressed and climbed into bed.

* * *

Holly woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee being made. She quickly sat up. She didn't remember inviting anybody over last night. She tip-toed over to her door and cracked it open just the slightest. She peeked out and saw Traci standing at the counter, pouring herself a mug. She closed the door and leaned against it.

Suddenly the blurry memories of last night came back. She had gone to The Penny and drank herself silly. As she was walking out, Traci came up behind her and offered her a ride home.

She must have stayed the night. All Holly remembered was walking, no; make that tripping into her apartment, barely making it into the bedroom, before passing out on her bed. She sunk down on the floor; last night had not been a good idea. The pounding headache reminded her so.

She rarely ever got that drunk. Gail was starting to have an influence on her. 'Oh well, time to get up.' She got up and walked into her bathroom. The first thing she did was rummage through the medicine cabinet for the Advil.

'The first thing you do in the morning after a night of drinking is take Advil.' Gail always reminded her, although it was mostly to let Holly prompt her to do so in the morning. She swallowed two pills and washed her face with cold water.

She walked back out to her bedroom and threw on a pair of sweats and a sweater. She opened the door and walked out to the kitchen, where Traci was sitting, enjoying her coffee.

"Good morning!" Traci said cheerfully. She clearly did not drink anything last night.

"Morning." Holly replied back, pouring herself a cup of coffee and taking a sip. 'Damn, that tastes good.' She thought to herself.

"Looks like someone drank a little too much last night." Traci teased.

Holly took a sip of her coffee, the Advil was starting to take affect and her headache was starting to clear. She'd have to remember to take someone again this afternoon. "A little doesn't even begin to describe it." Holly mumbled.

Traci laughed. "Do you miss her that much already?" She could read Holly like an open book, and she had only known her for a couple of weeks. Holly nodded.

"Aww, honey. She'll be back before you know it." Traci wrapped an arm around Holly's shoulder and looked at her watch. "I've got to go; my shift starts in 15 minutes. Are you going to be Ok here by yourself?"

"Yeah, Gail has taught me a few of her hangover techniques." Holly said with a smile.

Traci laughed. "Ok, well, take it easy!' She said as she walked out the door. 'Don't worry, I plan on it.' Holly thought to herself. She had a few sick days and decided that today counted as a 'sick' day. She called her boss and let him know that she wasn't coming in.  
She hung up and poured herself another cup of coffee before walking over to the couch and sitting down.

* * *

_2 Weeks Later_

Gail woke up to Dov shaking her shoulders. She grabbed his wrist from her shoulder and twisted it, hard. He immediately removed his hands and massaged his wrist.

"Ow, that hurt." He complained.

Gail smiled smugly at him. "That'll teach you." She said as she sat back down and curled back up under the covers.

Dov pulled back the covers. "The gang wants to meet with us, like, right now." He said.

Gail sat up. "Ok, Ok, I'm coming." She got out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen.

"Uh, Gail…" Dov started to say, but Gail ignored him. She walked out into the kitchen in her sweat pants and her bra. Only then did she realize why Dov had tried to stop her. The gang was waiting for them in the living room, and she had just walked out in her bra. The gang smirked at her.

"Morning sunshine!" Drake, the leader of the gang said, smiling.

Gail just stood there; she wasn't really sure what to do.

"Looking good!" One of the members shouted as he whistled. Drake shot him a look and he immediately wiped the smile off his face. Gail really didn't care anymore. She walked over to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip and walked over to her bedroom.

"I'll be right out!" She called over her shoulder.

"Take your time, sweetheart!" Drake called out as she shut the door. One of the benefits of being a girl was that the gang took it easy on her and trusted her a bit more, especially if the leader liked her. Gail threw on a sweater and walked back out to the living room, where she sat on a chair.

"I want you and Dov to help with a shipment of weapons." Drake explained. They had only been in the gang for a week and they were already asking them to cover a delivery, it was good for them.

"The cops don't know your faces yet. So, it makes you perfect for the job." Drake looked at both of them before standing up.

"Be at the club by 7. We'll go from there." With that, the gang left the apartment, leaving Gail and Dov sitting there in silence. Gail stood up and looked out the window. She could see the gang walking down the street.

"Guard the door, I'm calling Sam and letting him know that we're delivering a shipment so they can set up surveillance." Gail explained as she started dialing Sam's number.

"Hey. We just got signed to a delivery." Gail explained to Sam.

"Great. Do you want us to set up a team to bring them in?" Sam asked.

"No, I think this is more of a test and that we'll have a bigger assignment later if we pass this one." Gail said.

"Ok, we'll set up surveillance nearby. Make sure you have your phones on you so we can track where you are." Sam explained.

"Gotcha." Gail hung up and put her phone in her pocket. She looked at Dov who was sitting at the table.

"Looks like we have an assignment." He said. He walked over to the couch and tossed one of the box controllers to Gail. "We've got time to kill." Gail walked over to the couch and sat down. They would play Xbox for a couple hours. Besides, it was only 10:00 and they had to be at the club by 7:00. They had lots of time. 

* * *

Holly had almost recovered from her hangover. She had spent the morning on the couch, with a bottle of water and watching reruns of Say Yes to the Dress. The Advil had gotten rid of the headache, but she was still exhausted. When she had felt a little better in the afternoon, she started on some of her reports.

She had spent the next three hours sitting at her desk with a bowl of Kraft Dinner, which tasted even better after a hangover, a glass of water and typing away at her reports. She leaned back and stretched. 'That's enough work for one day.' She decided.

She stood up and almost fell over; her left leg had fallen asleep while she was sitting at her desk. She hobbled over to the sink and set down her dishes. She decided that a she was going to take a shower and then head to bed early.

She hopped in the shower and turned on the water. The hot water washed away her stress and troubles. She spent the next ten minutes just enjoying the steam and the peace. She finally got out and wrapped a towel around herself. She was really starting to miss Gail's company. She hated eating alone, but was too shy to go out with some of Gail's friends. Traci was the only one she was relatively close to, and she was busy with Leo tonight.

'Guess I'm eating alone tonight.' She put on her silk house coat and walked out to the living room. She picked up the phone and dialed the number for the Pizza place around the corner. It was 30 minutes before the food arrived. She hadn't bothered putting on clothes so she answered the door in just her robe.

"Here's your, um, pizza." The delivery guy stammered. A wicked smile spread across his face. As Holly gave him the money he asked "Is there any chance I can get your number?" He wouldn't be the first guy to ask. Holly smiled.

"I don't know, let me ask my girlfriend." His smile immediately fell from his face. "Sorry buddy." Holly said with mock sympathy as she shut the door. 'Pig.' She thought to herself as she brought the box over to the couch, where she sat down and turned on the TV. This is how she would be spending most of her nights until Gail got back.

She ate four slices before she decided she was full. Holly looked down at the half empty pizza box. 'I really shouldn't be complaining about Gail's food habits.' She thought to herself. She got up and put the rest of the pizza in the fridge. It would probably be her breakfast tomorrow morning. She walked over to the bathroom and brushed her teeth.

She gripped the edges of the sink and looked into the mirror. 'No more drinking for me for a while.' She thought. She rinsed her face with cold water and walked over to her bed.

She pulled back the covers and climbed in. She was getting used to sleeping alone, but she still preferred having Gail with her, snuggled up to her side, her blond hair splayed over Holly's shoulder and her arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her close.  
She rolled over and shut her eyes.

If she kept thinking about Gail, she would never fall asleep.


	12. Chapter 12-One More Day

**A/N: Sorry about the timeline confusion guys. I didn't realize it was like this until poisondart pointed it out to me. I sincerely apologize for the errors! **

Gail had beaten Dov 5 games to 2 in Call of Duty that afternoon, so she was feeling pretty good. Dov looked at his watch.

"It's 6:00, we should probably start getting ready for the operation." Gail stretched her arms and sighed contently.

"Yeah." She said, slowly getting up from the couch and walking over to her bedroom. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a jacket that would hide the wire she had to wear nicely. She got dressed, and carefully attached her wire. She pulled on her boots and stood up.

"Don't worry Holly, I'll be careful." She whispered to herself before walking out to the kitchen.

Gail gave Sam a quick call and let him know that they were leaving for their task.

"Dov! Let's go!" She shouted impatiently. Dov hurried out of his bedroom, pulling on his shoes as he went.

"Ok, I'm coming!" He said, hopping around trying to get his shoe on. A few seconds later he put his foot down and looked at Gail.

"Ready?" He asked. Gail nodded. They both knew how dangerous undercover operations were, especially when you were dealing with a gang smuggling weapons.

"Got your phone?" Gail asked. Dov patted his pocket to make sure and nodded. They walked out the door and started on down the street towards the clubhouse that the gang used for meetings and hanging out. It was 6:33. It took 20 minutes to walk there. They didn't want to be late; they also wanted enough time to let Sam get a hold of their locations. They turned down the side street that the house was on.

As they approached, they noticed Drake and the rest of the gang waiting on the front steps for them. Drake noticed them and stood up. He walked over to them and patted Dov and the back and kissed Gail's cheek.

"Hey sweetheart, hey Jake. You guys ready?" He asked, looking intently at them.

Gail smiled. "Let's go." She said.

Drake smiled back at her and winked. "I like a girl with enthusiasm. Let's roll." He showed them around the corner of the alley, where a mid-sized Toyota Tacoma was waiting for them.

"If the cops stop you to look in the back, let 'em". There's nothing there." Drake smiled wildly at them. "It's all under the seats. Rigged it out myself."  
Gail gave him an impressed look and then looked over at Dov. "Let's go then." Dove nodded at her. "Good luck!" Drake shouted at them as Gail started the truck. Gail turned the truck out of the alley and out onto the street. Dov pulled out the address that Drake had given him.

"Turn right at the lights." He instructed. Gail nodded and turned right at the lights.

After 20 minutes of driving, they reached the address where they were supposed to drop off the truck. Another gang member would take the truck and move it to an empty warehouse. Gail pulled in to the parking lot and as he had said, they spotted a man walking towards them. Gail and Dov hopped out and the man greeted them.

"Thanks." He said as he hopped in the truck and pulled it around back.

"I guess we're supposed to find our way home." Dov said as he shrugged his shoulders. They walked back to the street and turned back the way they had come. It took a lot longer to walk the route instead of driving. They had been walking an hour before they reached their flat. Gail opened the door and was surprised to Drake waiting for them on the couch. He stood up and smiled when he saw them walk in.

"I see you showed yourself in." Gail commented as she took off her shoes. Drake shrugged. "It was unlocked." He said. "Anyways, that's not the point. Congratulations on completing your first task. Now, here comes the big one." He smiled; the first task was clearly a test to see if they could handle it.

"On Wednesday, you will be assisting in another assignment. This time we're transporting guns and cocaine, the mother lode!" He grinned; he was clearly excited and probably a little high.

"Again, meet us at the clubhouse at 7 on Wednesday. We're driving the truck to a ware house on Dundas. See you then." With that he walked out the door.

Gail and Dov looked at each other. Gail walked over to the door and made sure Drake wasn't within earshot. "We've got to tell Sam about this right now so that they have time to set up a bust!" She hissed, making sure no one heard.

Dov nodded and pulled out his cell phone.

"Sam, we've got another task on Wednesday."

"Ok, do you know where you dropping the weapons?"

"Yeah, all he said was it was a warehouse on Dundas."

Sam sighed. "Ok, make your delivery; we'll be there to get them when you arrive."

"Ok." Dov said as he hung up the phone and looked over at Gail, who was sitting on the couch.

"Maybe this mission will be done early." Dov suggested as he walked over to the fridge. "Yeah…" Gail said. Going home early would be nice, she could surprise Holly.

"Do you want to eat anything?" Dov asked. "Cause we have nothing in here." He said gesturing at the fridge.

Gail shook her head; she wasn't hungry, which was odd. She just wanted to go to bed. "Nah, I'm just gonna go to bed. 'Night." She said as she walked over to her bedroom.

"Good night." Dov replied, picking up the phone to order pizza. Gail shut the door and stripped down and changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt. She climbed into bed and turned off the light. She couldn't wait until this mission was over.

* * *

Holly had been in the lab for most of the day and she wasn't leaving any time soon. Most of her coworkers had gone home hours ago. There were still a couple more bodies that had to be examined. It wasn't like she was doing anything tonight, so she volunteered to stay.

It was now 9:00 and Laura had just left, but Holly still to finish the last body and write up her reports. She hadn't even eaten dinner yet and she was starving. She looked over at the body.

'He's not going anywhere. I'll just grab something from the vending machine.'

She stripped off her gloves and walked down the hall to the vending machine. She bought a chocolate bar and a packet of roasted peanuts. She opened the peanuts and ate them as she walked out. She slumped against the wall and ate her snack in peace. That was the nice thing about staying late; there was no one else around, in the morgue at least.

The division downstairs was always alive. She had the morgue to herself, so it was nice and quiet.

Holly finished her 'dinner' and brushed her hands on her jeans. She stood up and walked into her lab. She grabbed a new pair of gloves and went back to work. 20 minutes later she finished. She tagged the man and pushed his body back into the cold room. She stripped off her gloves and sat down at her desk. She looked at the clock, it was 10:00.

'Screw this.' She thought. 'I'm going home.' She would take the reports home and work on them tomorrow and have them in by Monday. Her boss wouldn't mind, if was Friday after all. She threw her lab coat on her chair and walked out towards her car.

She reached her apartment and stepped into the elevator. It reached her floor and she stepped out. She unlocked he her door and stepped inside. As she hung up her coat, she considered ordering something more filling to eat. 'I'm not even hungry anymore.' She walked over to her bedroom and undressed. She crawled into her bed and wrapped the covers around herself as tight as she could.

"Two more weeks and then I'll have Gail back." She whispered to herself as she shut her eyes.

* * *

Gail sat up quickly, he was back. He had found her again and had strapped her down again. 'It's only a nightmare, Gail.' She told herself. Without Holly here, the nightmares were worse. She tried to go back to sleep, but she was wide awake now.

There was no way she was falling asleep with Perik on her mind. She looked over at the clock 10:52. She had slept for two hours. She threw back the covers and stepped out of bed. She opened her door and padded into the dark kitchen. Dov had gone to bed shortly after she had.

She opened the fridge and discovered the half-eaten pizza that Dov had ordered. She pulled it out and grabbed a piece. She sat at the table, silently eating her pizza, thinking about tomorrow.

Maybe tomorrow we'll finally get these guys.

Maybe tomorrow we'll get to go home.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get to see Holly.

Holly.

Gail missed her. She missed falling asleep in her arms, eating dinner with her, cuddling with her on the couch. She missed the way that Holly made her feel when she saw her. She missed the way her smile could make Gail feel things, the way her smile fixed every single problem. She sighed; she was really missing Holly right now. If she was lucky, they could go home tomorrow and she could she her; wrap he arms around her and just stay like that.

She looked down; she had eaten the rest of Dov's pizza. She closed the box and threw it in the garbage. She walked over to the window and looked out at the shining lights of the city. She sighed; she couldn't wait to be curled up in Holly's bed again, in her arms. She walked back to her bedroom and curled up, clutching the covers.

'One more day.' She thought.


	13. Chapter 13-Coming Home To You

**A/N: I had a wonderful time writing this chapter and bringing Gail back to Holly. Just thinking about the two makes me giggle. Please review and enjoy!**

Gail woke up, feeling tired. She _had_ spent half the night up, trying to avoid the nightmares. She lifted her head from underneath the pillow and looked over at her alarm. It was 11:26. That pizza had some strange effects on her dreams. She sat up and crawled out of bed. She walked over to the bathroom and turned the handle on the shower. She stripped down and climbed in. The hot water felt amazing on her skin.

She let water wash her away her stress and the steam cleanse her pores. She stayed in there until she heard Dov bang on the door yelling at her to hurry up. She turned off the tap and wrapped her towel around her. She stepped out of the bathroom and stuck her tongue out at him. She walked back to her bedroom and closed the door. She sat on her bed, not moving, just thinking. Thinking about Holly, tonight's operation, going home…

She got up and put on a pair of panties and bra. She pulled a pair of jeans and a sweater out of her drawer. She put them on and walked out to the kitchen. She pulled out a box of cheerios and poured herself a bowl. She looked in the fridge for the milk, but they had none. It didn't matter; hopefully they would be out of this place by tonight. She didn't bother grabbing a using a spoon, she shoved the cheerios in her mouth with her hand and walked over to the couch.

She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. There was nothing worth watching, so she flicked if off. She heard footsteps and turned around to see Dov walk out from the bathroom. She watched him open the fridge and peer in. He turned around to look at Gail.

"Did you eat my pizza?" He asked, giving Gail a suspicious look.

"Me? Would I steal your food?" Gail asked sarcastically. Dov frowned at her and Gail smirked at him. He grabbed the box of cheerios and walked over to the couch to sit down.

"Hey! Those are my cheerios!" Gail complained as she lunged to grab the box from Dov. He pulled it away just in time for her to miss.

"Payback for eating my pizza." Dov said as he shoved another handful into his mouth. Gail stuck her tongue out at him. In a couple of hours, this operation would be done (hopefully) and they could go home.

Holly woke up and yawned. She rolled over and looked at the clock. 'Was it really 11:30?' She sat up and climbed out of bed. She threw on a sweater and walked out to the kitchen. She started the coffee maker and put some bread in the toaster. She went back to the coffee maker and poured herself a mug. She took a sip and leaned against the counter until the toast popped up. She grabbed the butter and put her slices on a plate and walked over to the couch.

She sat down and turned on the TV. There was a channel playing recaps of last night's Leaf's game. She watched TV for the next hour. She looked at her clock and sighed. She should probably get started on her reports; they weren't going to write themselves. Holly got up and walked over to put her plate in the sink. She poured herself another mug of coffee and went to sit down at her desk.

Holly spent the next couple of hours working on her lab reports. Her stomach growled at her, telling her it was time to eat something else. She stood up and stretched; writing up lab reports was the worst part of doing an autopsy. She walked over to the kitchen and pulled some instant noodles out of the cupboard. 'Thank god for Mr. Noodles.' She thought.

Holly took the bowl of noodles back to her desk and sat back down. She was only halfway through her reports and there were still 2 more after this one. 'I'd better put another pot of coffee on if I'm gonna get through all these.' She thought, looking over the stack of files on her desk.

Gail opened her eyes and looked around. She had fallen asleep on the couch while Dov played Call of Duty by himself.

"How could you let me fall asleep while playing Call of Duty?" Gail complained as she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Dov shrugged. "You were obviously tired. I figured let you catch up on your sleep since you didn't get much last night." Gail looked at him. He must have heard her cries and screams from her nightmares.

"And with follow up after this, I figured you'd be even more tired." He turned back to the screen. Gail looked at her phone.

"We should start getting ready, let Sam know we're leaving." Gail suggested as she stood up.

Dov set down his controller and turned off the TV. "Yeah." They both walked to their rooms to get changed. Gail shut her door and threw on a pair of pants and a jacket. She packed up her duffel bag; she didn't want to spend too much time here packing up after they had finished the raid. She opened the door and walked out. Dov was waiting for her by the door.

Gail called Sam and let him know that they were leaving for the club. She hung up and walked over to the door. Dov opened it for her. She silently walked out and Dov followed.

"You ready?" Dov asked as they walked down the street. His voice was soft.

"Ready to go home? Absolutely. Ready for the operation? Sure." She answered with a half-smile on her face. They approached the club house and saw Drake walk down the steps towards them. He smiled and walked up to them.

"You guys ready to go?" He asked indicating behind the house where the truck was sitting.

Gail smiled at him and nodded. "Let's do this." He motioned for them to follow him. They walked around to the back of the house and Drake explained what they were supposed to do. Dov nodded at him and walked around to the truck. He climbed in the driver's seat and Gail climbed in the other side. Dov started the truck and pulled it out onto the street. Gail pulled out the piece of paper that Drake had given her and read out the address that was written on it.

20 minutes later Dov pulled the truck into a ware house and took the keys out of the ignition. They hopped out and were met by three other gang members. They opened the doors and starting unloading the truck and a couple others that had been driven there earlier. Dov and Gail looked at each other. They both knew at any moment, Sam, Steve, Traci and a whole crap load of officers would come in and arrest all the members, including them to avoid any suspicion, and this whole thing would be over.

After 20 minutes of unloading crates of weapons and cocaine, they heard the doors slam open and the familiar "Freeze! Put your hands where I can see them!" As predicted, Traci and Sam ran over to them and cuffed them. They were hauled out of the building and put in a cruiser. Traci hopped in the driver's seat and Sam walked back into the warehouse.

"Good job guys." Traci said as she pulled the cruiser out of the parking lot. Gail leaned back as best as she could with handcuffs on and sighed.

"As soon as we get back to the station, you guys can get changed and go home we'll do the follow up reports tomorrow; you guys are probably tired. Somebody will go by your flat tomorrow to clean up and grab your bags." Traci said.

"Tired doesn't even begin to cover it." Gail grumbled. Traci laughed. A few minutes later they pulled into the station parking lot. Traci got out and opened the car door. They shuffled out and she unlocked the handcuffs. Gail rubbed her wrists and walked inside. She went straight to her locker to change. She grabbed the extra pair of sweatpants and sweater she kept and put them on. She tied her hair up in a messy bun. She walked out and gave her clothes to Traci, so that she could put them in the evidence storage.

Traci put her hand on Gail's shoulder before she walked away.

"Go see her. She's been missing you terribly." Traci said with a smile. Gail smiled back at her. "Thanks." She hurried off towards the morgue. 'Hopefully she hasn't left yet.' Gail thought as she bounded up the steps to Holly's lab. She peeked in the doorway and the familiar feelings that Holly gave her when she saw her came rushing back like a wave. She had missed her. Gail stood in the doorway for a couple minutes, just watching Holly work attentively. She was so fixed in her work that she never noticed Gail. Gail decided that two minutes was enough.

"Hey nerd." She said, smiling. Holly turned around to see Gail standing in the doorway. Her mouth dropped open and a smile crept across her face. A warm feeling in her stomach grew as she looked at the blond who she had missed so much. She ran over to Gail and wrapped her arms around her. Gail didn't even care that she hadn't taken off her gloves, she had missed Holly too much. She buried her face in her neck, wrapped her arms around her neck and breathed in the familiar scent that was Holly. Holly looked up at her and Gail saw the tear running down her cheek. She reached up and wiped it off with her sleeve.

"I thought you were supposed to be gone for another two weeks." Holly whispered; her voice cracking.

Gail looked up at her, into those beautiful brown eyes that she had missed so much. "I was. We got them earlier than planned, so the mission ended early." Gail explained. She was glad, too. Holly just smiled at her, this was a huge surprise, but she loved every minute of it.

"Now kiss me, nerd; it's been four weeks." Gail said as she grinned wildly at Holly. Holly gladly obliged. She met Gail halfway and tasted the familiar taste that she had longed for, that she had missed. She loved the feeling of Gail's lips on hers. She kiss was slow, each woman tasting the other and savoring it. Gail moved her hands down to Holly's hips and pulled up her shirt slightly so that she could rub her fingers across Holly's hips.

Holly's skin tingled at the touch of Gail's fingertips. She had missed the feeling that she got whenever Gail touched her. With much effort she pulled away and looked into Gail's icy blue eyes.

"I missed you." She whispered as she rested her head in the crook of Gail's shoulder.

"I missed you, too." Gail responded as she rubbed her fingers across the skin on Holly's back. Holly looked up at Gail and smiled.

"Let's get out of here." She said; unwrapping her arms from around Gail.

Gail looked at her with a confused face. "Don't you have to finish here?" She asked.

Holly shook her head and smiled. "He's not going anywhere." Gail grinned back at her. Holly tore the gloves off of her hands and threw them in the garbage. She tossed her lab coat on the chair and grabbed her coat. "Let's go." She said, walking out of the lab. Gail followed her and entwined her fingers with hers. Holly smiled and rubbed the back her hand with her thumb. They reached the car and climbed in.

"Do you want to stop at your place to grab a clean set of clothes?" Holly asked, pulling the car onto the road.

Gail shook her head. "No, I was just going to borrow some of your clothes, if that's ok."

Holly grinned at her and waggled her eyebrows. "Who says we're going to need clothes tonight?"

Gail laughed. "So that's a 'yes'?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Holly replied. For the rest of the ride they were silent, with Holly resting her hand on Gail's thigh. A few minutes later they pulled into the parking lot. They climbed out and walked into the building. They stepped into the elevator and Holy pressed the button for her floor.

"I really hope you have some form of alcohol in your apartment. It's been four weeks without a single drop of alcohol Holly. I'm dying inside."

Holly laughed. "I may have stocked up for when you return." She said, smiling at Gail.

"This is why we are so good together." Gail said as she stepped out of the elevator. They walked over to Holly's door and she unlocked it. They stepped inside and Gail sighed.

"I've missed coming here, and being with you." She said as she took off her coat and shoes.

"I've missed having you here, with me." Holly admitted as she went over to the couch to sit down. Gail went straight to the fridge to grab some beer. She grabbed one for herself and one for Holly. She handed her one and joined her on the couch.

'This tastes sooo good." Gail exclaimed as she took a long swig. Holly laughed. "And you know what makes it even better?" She asked.

"What?"

"I'm sitting here drinking it with you." She said, poking Holly in the arm.

"How sweet." Holly replied, half sarcastically.

Gail shook her head. "I'm serious. All these past weeks, all I could think about was what you were doing right then. You were the only thing on my mind. When I had the nightmares, I thought 'if Holly were here, they wouldn't be happening.' When I was driving the delivery truck, it was Holly, Holly, Holly on my mind." Gail looked over at her for her reaction.

Holly nodded her head. "I was thinking the exact same thing." Gail smiled at her and shifted closer so that she was snuggled up against Holly and her head was resting on her shoulder. Holly draped her arm around her and played with her hair.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, starting to get up. Gail pulled her back down and wrapped her arms tightly around the brunette's waist so that she couldn't get up.

"No, and you are never leaving this spot. We are going to stay in this position until I decide to go to bed." Gail stated and closed her eyes. Holly smiled down at Gail and giggled. She loved the way that Gail fussed over her.

After an hour just cuddling on the couch, Holly decided that it was time for both of them to head to bed.

"Hey." She said softly, nudging Gail, who had fallen asleep. Gail sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes.

"Yes?" She asked, blinking rapidly, trying to make the white dots in her eyes disappear.

"I think it's time to head to bed." Holly said, slowly unwrapping Gail's arms from around her waist and standing up. She reached her hand out to Gail to help her up. Gail grasped her hand and pulled herself up. She walked into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She looked into the mirror and saw a tired face looking back at her. She rinsed her face with water and walked into the bedroom. Holly had laid out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt for her. She got changed and climbed into the bed to wait for Holly.

Holly walked in and stripped down. Gail fought hard to not look at Holly's tanned and toned legs. For someone who sat in a lab all day, she was in ridiculously fit. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and climbed in beside Gail.

"I see you opted against the no clothes option tonight, as earlier suggested." Gail smirked at Holly.

"Yeah, I figured you'd be too tired tonight." Holly retorted as she set her glasses on the nightstand and turned off the light.

"I'm never too tired for you." Gail replied, grinning at her. Holly shook her head.

"I might have to take up that offer though tomorrow." Gail said as she moved closer to Holly.

"We'll see." Holly replied leaning in to give Gail a kiss. She lay back and closed her eyes.

"Be my spoon?" She heard Gail whisper. Holly didn't have to reply. She shuffled closer to Gail and wrapped her arms around her waist. Gail found one of her hands and entwined her fingers with Holly's. Gail relaxed when she felt Holly's body against hers.

"Goodnight, nerd." Gail said sleepily.

"Goodnight, Gail." Holly replied, closing her eyes. She heard Gail's breathing slow as she fell asleep. She was glad to have Gail back in her arms.


	14. Chapter 14-Waking Up To You

The first thing that Holly noticed when she woke up was that they had shifted in the night and now Gail was laying half on top of her and her hand hound found its way inside of Holly's shirt. Her fingers were ridiculously close to Holly's nipple and the fact made Holly's mouth go dry. She turned her head so that she could look at Gail. Her face was buried in the pillow and her blond hair prevented Holly from seeing her face.

Her legs were draped across Holly and she came to wonder how they ended up in this position. She reached out and gingerly moved Gail's hair so she could see her face. Her lips were open slightly and Holly could see her chest rising and falling as she slept. She looked back at the clock. It was 7:08. She had to work at 8 and she supposed Gail had to do some sort of follow report with the operation.

She leaned in and kissed Gail softly on the lips. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled. She reached out and kissed Holly back. When she was aware of where her hand was, she reached up and pinched her nipple. This made Holly gasp with pleasure. Gail smiled at her. Holly quickly sat up and straddled Gail's legs. She felt Gail's hands sliding up her legs, so she grabbed them and pinned them above her head.

She leaned down and kissed Gail lightly on the lips. She then moved to her neck and ears, stopping to nibble on Gail's earlobe. She heard Gail moan and she smiled. She kissed and sucked and nipped at her neck and collarbone for a few minutes before moving back to her lips. She licked the bottom of Gail's lip and she opened her mouth. Holly slipped her tongue inside and she heard Gail moan again. Her tongue danced inside Gail's mouth, tasting and feeling. She felt Gail buck her hips, trying to get Holly's attention moved down there. Holly smiled and pulled away.

"I might have to reinstate the no clothes rule." She whispered in a husky voice in Gail's ear. Gail's mouth went dry at the sound of that.

"But not right now." She said, moving off Gail's legs and jumping off the bed. She heard Gail groan in frustration as she walked into the kitchen. Gail propped herself up on her elbows.

"You can't do that to a girl and have her expect _not_ to get laid Holly!" She shouted as she tossed back the covers. Holly laughed and poured herself a cup of coffee. She looked over her shoulder and she saw Gail come walking out of the bedroom. She set down her coffee mug and turned to face her. She had an irritated look on her face. She walked over to Holly and Holly leaned in to give her a kiss.

Gail moved her head so that Holly missed. "Nope." She said as she reached around Holly to grab the mug of coffee that Holly had poured for herself and walked over to sit on the couch. Holly looked at her with a shocked look. Gail gave her a smug grin.

"Wow." Holly said as she poured another mug of coffee. She walked over to the couch to sit with Gail. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at Gail, who was curled up beside her. She leaned in again and this time, Gail didn't move away. She kissed Gail and then pulled away.

"Good morning." Holly said, smiling.

"Good morning." Gail said back as she took a sip of her coffee.

"What time do you have to go in?" Holly asked.

Gail looked at her phone. "I should go get a change of clothes and then wake Dov so we can do our follow up. After that, I have a week off before I have to go back to duty." Gail replied.

"I'll drive you over to your place, but then I have to go to work."

"That's fine, Dov can drive us in." Gail said as she stood up and walked over to the kitchen. She put her mug in the sink. Holly stood up and placed her own mug in the sink.

"Just give me a minute to get changed." Holly said as she walked into the bedroom. A few minutes later she emerged and walked over to the door where Gail was waiting. They walked out of the apartment and into the elevator.

"Are you coming to my place after you're finished?" Holly asked as they stepped out and walked towards her car.

"Yeah, I don't know how long this report is going to take, so I'll probably stop by your lab to let you know I'm done." Gail replied.

Holly pulled the car beside Gail's building and gave her a kiss. "I'll see you this afternoon or tonight, or whatever happens." Gail said as she climbed out of the car.

"See ya!" Holly said as Gail walked inside. She opened the door and breathed in the familiar scent of beer and sweat. She walked into her bedroom and stripped out of her sweats. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She stepped inside and sighed. The hot water felt incredible. After standing there for a while she washed herself and turned off the tap. She stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself. She walked back to her bedroom and put on a pair of matching bra and panties.

She put on a pair of jeans and t-shirt; it felt so good to be wearing her own clothes again. She walked out and made her way to Dov's bedroom. He hadn't bothered to close the door when he got in, so Gail could see him lying on his stomach with one hand under his pillow and the other sprawled across his bed. The covers were pulled up to his waist so his back was exposed. Gail decided to have some fun.

She walked back to the kitchen and grabbed some ice cubes from the freezer. She made her way back to his bedroom and tip-toed over to his bed. She once she put the ice on his back he would wake up, so she had to be quick.

She counted down in her head and then pressed the ice cubes to Dov's back and stepped away. As predicted, he jumped up from his bed and shook the ice cubes off of his bed. Gail stood in the corner, giggling to herself the whole time. It took Dov a couple of seconds to realize that Gail was there and she was the mastermind of his sudden wake up call.

"You." He said pointing a finger at Gail.

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully as she walked out of his bedroom. Dov pulled on a pair of sweatpants and followed her out.

"That was not appreciated." He said flatly as he poured himself a mug of coffee and sat down at the table. Gail poured herself a bowl of cheerios and joined him.

"But it worked." She replied, taking a spoonful of cheerios. Dov grunted back. They sat in silence, Gail munching on her cheerios and Dov planning his revenge.

"Anyways, it's time to go." She said as she stood up and put her bowl in the sink. Dov stood up and walked over to his room to get dressed. A few minutes later he emerged and they walked out to his truck.

"Was Holly surprised when you came home early?" Dov asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah." Gail replied, a smile spreading across her face as she remembered the memory.

"Yeah, so was Chloe. We ordered pizza and spent the night together watching TV. It's nice to be back, isn't it?" The ice on his back had woken him up, but he wasn't going to admit that to Gail and give her the feeling of satisfaction.

"Un huh." Gail grunted back. A few minutes later they reached the station. Gail walked in and was immediately greeted by Oliver.

"Hey! Look whose back! It's the great Peck and her sidekick Epstein!" Oliver said cheerfully. This is why Oliver was her favorite.

"Hey! Why am I the sidekick?" Dov complained as he frowned at Gail.

"'Cause I'm better." Gail said matter-of-factly. Dov stuck her tongue out at her and she stuck hers right back. Gail walked over and sat down at Traci's desk. She looked over her shoulder and saw Traci walking over to her.

"Hey, you ready for the follow up?" She asked.

Gail nodded her head. "Yeah, let's go. I want to go home as soon as possible and start my week off." She said as she stood up.

Traci looked towards Dov. "Steve will be out in a few minutes to do your report." She said. Dov nodded and sat down. She and Traci made their way to one of the free media rooms and closed the door.

Traci looked over her last few notes. "That's everything then, Gail. Enjoy your mandated week off." Traci said as she opened the door.

"Oh, I plan on it." Gail said as she walked out the door.

"Was Holly surprised to see you?" Traci asked as they walked back to her desk so she could grab Dov's report.

"Why does everyone keep asking that? It's not 'Hi Gail, how are you?' but, 'How's Holly?'" Gail asked.

Traci raised her hands in the air defensively. "Sorry. I know she wasn't expecting you for another two weeks, so I was wondering how she took it." Traci explained as she sat down at her desk to finish filling out the reports.

Gail grinned at her. "I was joking. She loved it. It was nice to see her again." Traci smiled at her.

"Yeah, I can believe it. She was so lonely the past four weeks without you." Traci said.

Gail stood up. "I'm going to go find her." She turned to look at Traci. "Thank you, for keeping her company." Gail said. "No problem. Now, go find your special pathologist." Traci said, smiling at Gail.

"See ya." Gail said as she made her way up to the lab. She looked in and saw Holly sitting at her desk working with some assistant, Gail presumed from the lab coat she was wearing. She saw Holly laugh at something the assistant said. She felt a wave of jealousy rush over her, but she knew she shouldn't worry. Holly would never do something like that.

Gail cleared her throat, loud enough so that Holly would hear. Holly looked up and smiled. "Gail…hi. What are you doing here?" She asked.

Gail sauntered in. "I just finished my follow up report, so I came to see you." She said, looking at the assistant. Holly noticed her looking at Laura and stood up.

"Laura this is Gail." Laura smiled and waved. "So this is the Gail that causes Holly's brain to melt out of her ears." Laura said, grinning from ear to ear. Holly blushed.

"I just came to see if you were done." Gail explained, now relieved to know that it was just a lab assistant. She walked over and hopped up on Holly's desk. Holly turned to Laura. "Do you think you can finish up here?" She asked, hoping to sneak out early with Gail.

Laura smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you go ahead." Holly stripped off her gloves and threw them in the garbage. She tossed her lab coat on the chair and grabbed her purse. She gave Laura a hug as she walked out. "Thank you!' She shouted over her shoulder. "You owe me!" Laura shouted back.

They walked down the stairs and out to Holly's car.

"Do want to pick up something to eat before we leave?" Holly asked, starting the car. Gail shook her head.

"Aren't you always hungry?" Holly prodded.

Gail smiled. "Yes. But, tonight I am taking you out to dinner and do not want you to ruin your appetite." She said, poking Holly in the stomach.

"Really? Where are you taking me?" Holly asked.

"It's a surprise." Gail said as she turned to look out the window.

Holly looked at her. "That's it? You're not going to tell me anything else?"

"Nope."

Holly turned back to the road; she knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of Gail. They reached the apartment and stepped inside of the elevator. They reached Holly's apartment and stepped inside. Gail headed to the fridge to grab a beer.

"What happened to not spoiling your appetite for tonight?" Holly teased.

"I said to not spoil _your _appetite. I never said anything about my own. And believe me; one beer will not spoil my appetite." She said, taking a sip of her beer and walking over to the couch where Holly was sitting. They sat together and enjoyed each other's company; they hadn't been able to just sit together for a while. After an hour, Gail sat up. She walked over to the kitchen and threw her beer can in the recycling. She walked over to the door and put her boots on.

"Reservation's at 7. I'll be back here in two hours to pick you up. Don't forget to look good!" With that, Gail walked out the door. As she walked back to her flat, she thought about what she was going to wear. She walked up the steps and into the flat. Dov was napping on the couch. She decided to be nice and not wake him.

She walked over to her bedroom and closed the door. She flung the doors to her closet open and sat down on her bed. After a minute of sitting and staring into her vast array of clothes, she pulled out her phone.

"Traci, I need your help. I don't know what to where for my date with Holly."

"Ok, where are you guys going?"

"To that Korean place by The Penny."

"Ok, what about that black dress you wore to the awards ceremony?" Gail walked over to her closet and pulled out the dress. She looked it over before throwing it on the floor.

"Nope, next option."

"Gail this is really hard considering I don't really know what's in your closet."

"I have the gold dress that I wore to Frank and Noelle's wedding. The silver one that I wore to Jerry's… you know." Gail flipped through the rest of her closet. "And that's about it."

"What about the silver one? She's already seen the gold one." Traci suggested. Gail pulled it out and inspected it. "Thanks Trace!"

"Have fun!" She called out before hanging up. Gail put the dress on her bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Half an hour later she emerged wrapped in a towel. She put on a pair of red matching panties and bra and slipped into her dress. She spent another 45 minutes fussing over her hair and makeup. When she was finally satisfied, she walked out to the living room, where Dov had just woken up from his nap.

"Are you going out?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, I might not come home tonight. Don't wait up for me. Can I borrow your car?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure. Keys are on the counter. Have fun." He said, settling back down on the couch for part two of his nap. Gail called the restaurant and made sure that the reservation was still at 7. She walked out and started the car. She drove to Holly's building and stepped in the elevator. She walked over to her door and knocked.

Holly emerged wearing a pair of tight black slacks and a blue button-up blouse. She looked incredible.

"You look incredible." Was all Gail managed to stammer out. Holly smiled. "Thanks. You look good, too."

"Let's go." Gail said. Holly grabbed her coat and shut the door. As she climbed in the car she asked again "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there?" Gail responded. Holly leaned back in her seat and smiled. She loved that Gail made an effort to dress up and take her out. It showed her that she cared. A few minutes later she pulled up to the restaurant. Gail looked over at Holly and smiled. They walked in and were greeted by a waiter.

"Reservation for Peck, please." The waiter ushered them to their seats and place two menus in front of them.

"So, here, you order as many of something as you want. You write the quantity of the dishes you want and then they bring it to you." Gail explained as she wrote down their orders on the sheet and handed it to the waiter, who hurried off to the kitchen.

"What's the pit in the middle for?" Holly asked.

"You can cook your own meat." Gail said, grinning at her. Holly looked around. "Thank you for bringing me here." She said, reaching out and covering Gail's hand with hers.

Gail shrugged. "We hadn't seen each other in a month and I figured it was time I took you out on a real date."

"Well I love it." Holly said, leaning back in her seat. A few minutes later their food arrived. Gail took the bowl of beef and started laying it over the burning grill.

"This is delicious." Holly exclaimed as she took a bite of the various dishes. Gail grinned at her, happy that she made a good choice. They enjoyed their dinner and paid their bill. They walked out the door and Gail linked her arm through Holly's.

"This was nice, thank you." Holly said, looking at Gail. They walked back to Holly's apartment and stepped inside the elevator. They reached Holly's apartment and she unlocked the door. Gail stepped inside and Holly followed. As soon as they were inside Gail pushed Holly against the wall and crashed her lips into hers. Holly went rigid at first, but then she relaxed. She moved her hands to Gail's head and ran her hands through her hair. Gail ran her tongue along Holly's lips and she opened them. She slipped her tongue inside and felt the fire in her stomach start up again. Their tongues danced around and tasted each other's distinct flavor.

Gail moved her hands to the thin layer of skin between Holly's shirt and pants and found her way up. She rubbed the skin below Holly's breasts and she heard her moan. She grinned and slipped her hands under the lace bra. Holly felt shivers down her spine and just about collapsed. She had had women do that before, but when Gail did it, she took sexy to a whole new level.

She had to regain control. She turned them around so that Gail was against the wall. Holly's hands moved from Gail waist up her back to the zipper at the back off Gail's dress. She fumbled around until she got a grip on the zipper and pulled it down. Holly ran her fingers up and down Gail's spine. She pulled away from their kiss and started placing kisses on her neck. She heard Gail moan and she started up towards her ear.

She stopped and nibbled on her ear. "I might have to reinstate the no clothes rule right now." She whispered is Gail's ear. This turned Gail to mush.

"What are we waiting for then?" Gail whispered back.


	15. Chapter 15-Anything Could Happen

Gail woke up tangled in Holly's embrace. She was surprised to find that she was naked underneath the covers. She rarely slept naked; it didn't feel right to her. Then she remembered last night. She and Holly had barely made it to the bed. Her arms were now wrapped Holly's waist and their legs were tangled together. Holly's hand was resting on Gail's stomach and the other was spread across the bed. And Gail couldn't be happier.

She turned over the best that she could without waking the sleeping brunette. Her head was turned towards Gail so she could see her striking features. Her perfect lips and tanned skin. Underneath her eyelids were the most beautiful pair of dark, brown eyes that Gail had ever seen. Her eyes seemed to know every single little thing about you and if she didn't know, she would figure it out. That was Holly, she knew everything or she would eventually.

She looked over Holly's shoulder to check the time. It was 7:04. She had the rest of the week off, but Holly still had to work. She had to be in the morgue by 8:30, so she didn't have to get up for another half hour.

'Might as well enjoy it while she's still here.' Gail thought as she cuddled back in Holly's embrace. She felt her move and pull Gail tighter to her.

Half an hour later, Holly heard her phone emitting the familiar beeping sound that was her alarm. She felt Gail shift in her arms, probably trying to muffle the annoying beeping.

"Holly, turn it off!" She heard Gail yell, her voice muffled by the pillow that was covering her head. Holly reached out and turned it off.

"Sorry babe, I have to get ready for work." Holly said unwrapping her arms from Gail and start to sit up. She was immediately pulled back down by Gail. She didn't look that strong, but being a police officer definitely had toned her muscles.

"No. Stay with me." Gail said. It wasn't a request, more like an order. Holly really wanted to, but she knew if she did, she would be late. And after leaving early yesterday, she didn't want to come in late today.

"I can't, I have to get ready for work." Holly said, pulling herself up from Gail. She heard Gail groan and roll over. Gail sat up, she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now. She got up and pulled on a pair of panties, a shirt and a pair of Holly's sweatpants. She wrapped herself in a blanket and walked out to the kitchen to make coffee.

Holly emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and was surprised to see the bed empty. A few minutes earlier it seemed like Gail was never going to leave the bed. She walked out of the bedroom and saw Gail at the counter pouring herself a mug of coffee. She took a sip and set it down on the counter.

Holly walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her waist. She felt Gail shift her weight so she was partly leaning on Holly.

"You didn't have to get up yet." Holly whispered in her ear.

"I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep now." Gail replied as she poured coffee into a travel mug for Holly. She turned around and gave her a quick kiss.

"Good morning." She said, giving Holly a lopsided grin.

Holly leaned in and kissed her back. "Good morning." She said. She looked at her watch and stepped back. "I have to go now. See you tonight?" She asked, hoping Gail would stay again tonight.

"I don't know." Gail said, rubbing the back of her head. "Everybody's going to The Penny tonight to celebrate me and Dov's coming home. You could come if you want." She suggested.

Holly smiled. Gail took that as a yes. "Good. Can you drop me off at my place on your way?" Gail grabbed her bag and walked out the door behind Holly. They stepped into the elevator and walked out to Holly's car. They arrived at the flat. Gail looked over at Holly before stepping out.

"I'll pick you up at 7." She leaned in and gave Holly a kiss before jumping out and walking towards her flat. Holly smiled, she loved it that Gail want afraid to show her off to her friends. She pulled the car into the road and drove to the precinct. She got out of the car and walked into the building. She made her way up to the morgue and dropped her coat on the chair. She put her lab coat on and grabbed a pair of sterile gloves. She walked over to her desk and found a note taped to her computer.

'Not coming till 9. This is you owing me. –Laura.' She crumpled the note up and tossed it in the recycling. She looked over the lab and spotted the samples sitting in the fridge. She sighed. She had better get started on them if she wasn't going to have a lab assistant until 9.

Gail walked up the front steps of their flat and opened the door. Chris had already left for his shirt and Dov was probably still sleeping. She walked over and tossed her bag in her bedroom. She didn't want to change out of Holly's comfortable clothes. She walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl and a spoon. She poured herself a bowl of cheerios and walked over to sit on the couch. She flicked on the TV and changed it a few times before she found the cartoon network.

She spent the next couple of hours in front of the TV, only getting up to refill her supply of cheerios and cheese puffs. It had been a while since she was able to just relax by herself. The silence was soothing compared to the usual hustle and bustle that came with being a police officer.

She heard a door opening and looked up. Dov walked out in a pair of sweatpants looking more asleep than awake.

"Hey." She said as he walked over to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He grunted back; he clearly was still not fully awake. Gail turned back to her cartoons. Dov walked over and sat on the recliner next to the couch where Gail was seated.

"How was your dinner with Holly last night?" He asked, not bothering to look at Gail.

"It was nice." She replied. She didn't want to discuss the other half of the night with Dov, or anybody for that matter. She focussed her attention back on the TV.

It was almost lunch and Holly hadn't gotten a break since she started. She had started on the lab samples, but then a couple of autopsy's came in on priority order. She had just finished them and was about to start the lab reports. Her boss had made it clear he wanted them _and_ the samples done by the end of the day. Luckily, the analyses had been pretty straight forward: one overdose on a 23 year old man and one cardiac arrest on a 67 year old woman.

"Hey, Laura." Holly called out from her desk. Laura peeked her head out of the storage room. "Do you think you can start on the lab samples?" Holly asked. She didn't want to be stuck in the lab and not be able to go to The Penny with Gail.

"Yeah, sure." She replied walking out of the storage room and over to the fridge, pulling out samples and placing the, on the counter top. Holly sighed. 'Now, back to those lab reports.' She thought. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the lab door. She looked up to see Gail leaning against the door way.

"Hey." She said, not bothering to come in.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Holly asked. She was surprised to see Gail here on her week off.

"Got bored at home. Have you eaten yet?" Holly shook her head, she was starving.

Gail smiled. "Good. I come bearing food." She said; holding up a bag that held some containers that Holly guessed was Chinese. Holly looked at the clock. It was 12:30 and she hadn't eaten lunch yet. She stood up and threw her coat on the chair. She took Gail by the hand and took her to the lunch room.

"You didn't have to come here, you know." Holly said; unpacking the bag full of food. Gail shrugged. Holly guessed that she had nothing else to do. She was glad that she did though, she was starving.

"I got bored at home. And besides, I had to make sure you were actually doing your job over here and not fooling around." Gail said with a grin. Holly laughed. They finished their lunch and Gail took their containers to the trash.

Holly walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her waist. Gail put her hands on her head and pulled in her for a kiss. No matter how much they saw or touched each other, they couldn't get enough. Holly pulled back and smiled.

"Thanks for lunch. I should get to work now." She unwrapped her arms and grabbed Gail's hand. They walked back to the lab and Holly gave Gail one last kiss.

"Pick you up at 7." Gail said. She walked down the stairs and out the doors. She walked home and opened the door. She saw Dov on the couch and walked over to the fridge to grab a beer. She walked over and plopped herself on the couch. Dov looked over at her and sat up.

"Where have you been?" He asked, walking over to the fridge and pulling out a piece of pizza from the box.

"I had lunch with Holly." Gail explained, picking up her Xbox controller and turning on the system. She had a couple of hours to kill before she had to pick up Holly for The Penny.

"Dov! Get your ass over here so I can kick it in Call of Duty!" She shouted. Dov came running over and hopped on the couch.

"It is so on!" He replied grabbing his controller.

Gail had spent the rest of the afternoon annihilating Dov in COD. She looked at her phone it was 6:19. She should probably start getting ready. She walked over to her bedroom and shut the door. She pulled out a pair of black jeans and a blue top. She put them on and went to the bathroom. She touched up her makeup and walked back out to the living room.

"I'll meet you at The Penny!" She called out to Dov as she pulled on her boots and walked out the door. She started the car and drove to Holly's. She stopped the car in front of the apartment and looked at her phone. '6:57, perfect.' She thought as she climbed into the elevator. She stepped out and made her way to Holly's door. She knocked and heard "Come in!"

Gail walked in and waited by the door. She saw Holly emerge from the bathroom and walk towards her.

"Hey." She said. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me grab my coat." Holly walked over to the couch and picked up a grey coat that was lying there. "Let's go." She said, putting her hand on Gail's back to usher her out. They walked to Gail's car and drove the short distance to The Penny. They walked in and Gail looked around for the group. She spotted them in the corner and pulled Holly along. Oliver was the first to greet them.

"Hey! Look whose here!" He pulled out a chair and patted it, gesturing for Gail to sit down.

"Hey Holly!" He said. Holly waived. She leaned down and told Gail that she was going to get them some drinks. Gail nodded and started talking with Oliver about the mission. Holly walked over to the bar and ordered a coke for herself (she would probably end up driving a _very _intoxicated Gail home) and a Captain Morgan for Gail. She walked back and gave Gail her drink and sat sown beside her. Gail was happily talking with Oliver about the operation, so Holly was content to just sit there and enjoy Gail in her happiness.

After three hours of talking and drinking, Traci thought that Gail and Dov needed another row of shots to celebrate a successful mission. The group brought over a row of five shots for each officer.

"Ok, first person to finish their row of shots wins!"

"I'm betting on the blond!" Oliver yelled out. Dov turned and stuck his tongue out at him. "Go!" Traci yelled. Both officers started downing the shots, but it was obvious that Gail had more drinking experience. She slammed her last glass down on the table and let out a yell.

"Take that!" She shouted at Dov. Holly smiled and laughed. This was the reason that she hadn't had anything to drink. She knew that tonight would be full of celebrating. She stood up and walked over to where Gail had moved after her victory over Dov.

"You ready to go?" She whispered in Gail's ear. Gail turned around and looked at her with glazed over eyes. Holly was glad she hadn't had anything to drink.

"Yeah, let's blow this joint!" Gail said as she stood up. When she did, she grabbed the back of the chair for support. Holly reached out and wrapped her arm underneath her to steady her.

"Thank you." Gail said, pointing her finger at Holly. Holly waved at everybody and steered her through the crowded bar. She opened the door and guided Gail out to the car. She opened the door and helped Gail in, which was no easy task considering the amount of alcohol she had consumed. She finally was able to buckle Gail in. She walked around to the other side and climbed in.

The drive home was quiet, so quiet that Holly worried that Gail had passed out. Holly looked over and shook her shoulder just to make sure. Gail looked up at her. Even though her eyes were half closed, Holly could make out the distinct ice blue eyes. They made it back to Holly's place and she walked over to the other side to help Gail out. She stumbled out and made her way (with Holly's help) into the elevator and to Holly's door.

She stumbled inside and Holly followed. Gail kicked off her boots and staggered over to the couch, where she proceeded to fall over. Holly followed behind her and moved her so that she wouldn't suffocate on the cushion that her face was pressed against. Gail was still semi-conscious and moved at Holly's touch. Holly figured that it was best that she spent the night on the couch, in case she decided to do anything stupid.

Holly made sure Gail was ok before heading to her bedroom and getting changed. She pulled back the covers and climbed in. As she turned out the light, she heard Gail getting up and make her way into the bedroom. Holly turned the light back on and climbed out of bed. She walked over to where Gail was standing and helped her back to the couch. But Gail wasn't taking the help.

"Come on, you can sleep in my bed." Holly whispered. She led her back to the bedroom and helped her in. Within seconds, she was asleep. Holly sighed and walked out to the living room. 'Guess I'm sleeping on the couch tonight.' She grabbed an extra blanket and pillow and lay down. Gail was definitely going to feel this hangover in the morning.


	16. Chapter 16-You're My Heartbreak

Gail woke up with a blinding headache. This was the worst hangover she had had in a while. She sat up and it took her a minute to remember where she was. She didn't remember a single thing from last night. She did recognize that she was in Holly's apartment, in Holly's bed. She looked over at the clock, it was 6:52. Hangovers always made her wake up early. She tossed back the covers and climbed out of bed. Every step she took sent a shot of pain to her head.

She was surprised to find she was still in her clothes. She found a par of Holly's sweatpants and a t-shirt. She stripped off her clothes from last night and changed into Holly's clothes.

She shuffled to the bathroom and rummaged through the medicine cabinet. Holly had to have some Advil in here somewhere. She finally found it and swallowed two pills. 'It's a good thing that I have the week off.' She thought. 'I wouldn't be able to make it first the first hour on shift.' She walked out to the living room and was shocked to see Holly sleeping on the couch

Gail decided not to bother her and walked over to the kitchen to make some coffee. As soon as the machine started, Gail heard Holly stir. She looked over and saw Holly sit up.

"Hey." Holly said, standing up and walking over to the machine.

"Hey." Gail replied.

"How's that hangover treating you?" Holly asked with a smirk.

Gail groaned. "Don't even go there." She grumbled.

Holly snickered. "You were pretty out of it last night. I tried to set you up on the couch last night, but you kept coming over to my bed. So I let you sleep there while I slept on the couch."

"Sorry about that."

Holly waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. You didn't break anything, so it's all good." Gail gave a half smile. Holly looked at her watch. "I have to go. Are you staying here or going back to your place?"

"I'll probably go back to my place and then hang out here for the rest of the day. i just spent the past month with Dov and I'm kinda getting sick of him. Is that ok?" Gail asked. She knew she didn't have to though, she lived at Holly's place half the time know that it was normal.

Holly smiled. "Yeah. Just leave the door unlocked so you can get back in."

Gail looked at her with a semi-shocked face. "Holly. Being a police officer, I can't suggest that you leave the door unlocked when you leave." She said seriously.

Holly laughed at her and gave her a kiss. "Bye!" She said as she walked out the door. 'Nerds.' Gail muttered to herself as she walked back to the bedroom. She stuffed her clothes from last night into a bag and walked out of the apartment. She walked back to her place and stepped inside. She saw Dov, still sleeping on the couch. Just for fun, she closed the door a little louder than usual. He jumped up and rolled off the couch in the process.

Gail giggled and walked over to her bedroom. She walked back out to see Dov picking himself up off the floor. He shook his head at her and walked over to his bedroom and shut the door. 'Whatever.' She walked back to her bedroom and shut the door. She took off Holly's clothes and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the tap and stepped inside. The water felt nice on her skin. She turned off the tap and stepped out. She wrapped a towel around her waist and walked back into her bedroom.

She pulled out a pair of sweats and comfy sweater. She put them on and grabbed the bag off of the floor. She looked at the clothes she had worn last night and tossed them in the wash pile. She took Holly's clothes and put them in the bag she borrowed that morning.

She walked out to the kitchen and grabbed a bagel from the basket. She walked over to Dov's door and banged on it. When he didn't answer, she shouted through it. "I'm heading over to Holly's!" She heard him grunt and she took it as a 'good riddance.' She walked out the door with a bagel in one hand and the bag in her other. She walked to Holly's building and stepped in the elevator. She stepped out and made her way to Holly's door. She opened it and stepped inside.

She tossed the bag on Holly's bed and walked over to the couch. She loved it at Holly's place. It was nicely furnished, with the most comfortable couch Gail had ever sat on. There were shelves and shelves of her books and scientific journals, and secretly, Gail loved reading through them, even though she didn't understand half of them. She loved how smart Holly was, and how she insisted that Gail learn something new every day.

Her room had the softest bed she had ever slept in, and Gail loved sleeping in it with Holly. The apartment suited Holly's taste. It didn't scream NERD! NERD!, but it had some of her scientific journals and textbooks.

Gail looked around and breathed in the familiar scent that was Holly. She turned on the TV and wrapped herself in a blanket. By the time she had gone back to her place, showered and gone back to Holly's it was 10:39. All the good cartoons had finished, so Gail turned off the TV. 'It's never too early to take a nap.' She thought as she lay down on the couch and curled up under the blanket.

Holly was staring at the pelvic bone that lie on the table in front her her. The division had attended the scene of a decomp and all that was left were some shattered bones and this, pelvis. She had been trying to extract some bullet fragments all morning, but they were so deeply penetrated that she was having a hard time.

She threw her tweezers down on the table and groaned in frustration. Laura peeked her head around the corner. "You ok?" She asked. Holly glare could have melted the North Pole. Laura looked at her with wide eyes and Holly realized how bad she was glaring.

"Sorry. Just having troubles with this." She said, gesturing at the pelvic bone in front of her. "The bullet is too far deep for me to extract. And breaking it is not the best solution." Laura walked in and looked at the bone.

"What if you used a magnet?' She suggested. "Attach a strong magnet to the end of one of the picks and insert it into the hole. I mean, it's metal right? Anyways, just a suggestion." She said as she walked back into the storage room. Holly looked at the bone and started hunting through her drawers for a magnet. "Aha!" She exclaimed pulling one out from her desk drawer. She walked over and picked up the pick. She attached the magnet and walked over to the bone.

"Please, please, please." She whispered as she inserted the probe into the hole. She felt the magnet click as it attached itself to the bullet. She carefully pulled out the probe and the bullet that was stuck to the end. "Yes!" She called out as she placed the fragment in a container. Laura glanced at her and smiled.

A couple minutes later she heard her phone buzz. She took off her gloves and walked over. It was a text from Gail.

_G-Hey, watcha doing? _What did Gail think she was doing?

_H-Dissecting a pelvis. What are you up to?_

_G-Just thinking about a certain brunette. _

_H-Oh yeah, which one?_

_G-The one that looks sexy in red lace panties and bra._

_H-I've never worn a pair of red lace panties and bra._

_G-Maybe I'm not talking about you._

_H-Very funny. I have to do some actual work now. I'll see you tonight._

_G-Kisses._

Holly smiled. Gail was probably bored out of her mind doing nothing. She pulled on a pair of sterile gloves and walked back to her pelvis. 'Now it's time to figure out where you came from." She thought picking up the evidence container and shaking the bullet inside it.

Gail bored out of her mind. She had read some of Holly's journals, watched TV and even cleaned the kitchen. She _cleaned._ Gail Peck never cleaned. She looked at the stove clock, it was 6:52. 'Holly should be home soon.' She thought. She couldn't wait to snuggle up on the couch with her nerd. As if on cue, Gail heard the door open and slam shut. She peered around the corner and saw Holly taking off her boots.

As Holly walked the couple of steps to where the entrance met the kitchen, Gail jumped out and wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck and gave her a kiss. Holly was surprised, to say the least. When she realised it was Gail, she dropped her bag and wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her in closer. She got lost in Gail's scent and the taste of her lips and mouth. Her body floated as Gail rubbed her fingers against her back where her shirt had ridden up slightly.

She pulled back and Gail grinned at her. "Did you miss me?" Holly asked.

"Always." Gail replied as she removed her arms and took a step back so Holly could put her bag on the counter.

"What did you do all day?" She asked as she walked over to the couch.

"Not much." Gail replied as she fished two beers out of the fridge. She walked over to where Holly was sitting and sat down beside her, handing her one of the beers.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, starting to get up. Gail pulled her back down.

"You have worked all day." She said, poking her in the stomach. "I, on the other hand, have not. I have done nothing all day, so I will cook us dinner." She proclaimed standing up and walking over to the kitchen.

Holly gave her a surprised look. "You know how to cook?" She asked.

Gail shot her a look. "Yes Holly. I know how to cook." She turned back around and started pulling pots out of the cupboards.

"So what are you cooking then, Chef Peck?" She teased.

Gail turned around to face her with a very serious look. "Mac and cheese." She proclaimed.

Holly giggled. "Ok then, chef." She was going to enjoy every minute of this. She sat back and watched Gail pull out ingredients of the fridge. Half an hour later, Gail walked over to the couch and put a bowl of pasta in front of Holly.

"Voila. Mac and cheese." She said sitting down beside her and taking a bite of her own bowl.

Holly looked at her and took a bite. "Oh. My. God. This is the best mac and cheese I have ever tasted." She said.

Gail looked at her and grinned wildly. "Good, 'cause that's about the only thing I can cook." She said, taking a bite of her pasta. Holly laughed. They ate the rest of their dinner and spent the evening on the couch watching TV.

Gail had snuggled up to Holly and was resting her hand on her stomach and was drawing invisible patterns. Holly looked down at the beautiful woman lying in her arms. She wouldn't say she was falling for her; she had done that a long time ago. The moment that Gail had called her out in the field on her 'lunchbox', she knew that this woman would make a lasting impression her on. From the first moment they had talked, she wanted to kiss those red lips. She loved everything about her, her snarky replies, the morning coffee kisses, the way she curled up when she slept. The way she looked at Holly made her melt inside and forget about what she thinking about. The way her smile could make her day better in that split second.

"Are you staring at me?" She blinked at looked at Gail, in her deep blue eyes.

"You are incredible." She whispered, leaning down a giving her a gentle kiss. Gail looked at her and gave her a subtle smile. Gail leaned her head back down and started drawing patterns again.

"I love you." Holly said. And she meant it. She loved the way Gail made her feel. She felt Gail fingers slow there pace. She could sense Gail tense up. She sat up and took their dishes to the sink. Holly followed her with her eyes. She walked back to the couch and picked up her phone.

"I'd better go." She said, walking over to the door. 'Crap." Holly thought. 'Now, you've done it, you pushed her too far.' She stood up and walked over to wear Gail was pulling on her coat.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Holly asked, her face searching Gail's dead pan expression. It was a giveaway that something was wrong.

"Yeah, maybe. See ya." She said flatly, walking out the door. Holly closed the door and leaned her back against it. She slumped down and rested her head in her hands. And cried. She cried because she knew that she had pushed Gail too far. And now, she didn't know if she could get her back.

Gail walked home in the cold, wishing she had a warmer jacket. Why had Holly said that? She knew that Gail had relationship troubles and had a tendency to run away. She reached home and opened the door. Chris and Dov were sitting on the couch. Dov turned around looked at her.

"I thought you were staying at Holly's?" He asked.

"Change of plans." She replied walking to her bedroom.

"Well, do you wa- " Chris was interrupted by the slamming of her door. He shrugged and turned back to the game. Gail stripped out of her clothes and changed into a pair of shorts and t-shirt. She walked over to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She looked up at the mirror and hated the image she saw. She punched the wall beside the mirror and screamed. "Fuck!" She yelled as she cradled her hand. She knew in the morning that her hand was going to hurt like hell.

She looked at the hole in the wall and shuffled out to her bedroom. She pulled back the covers and climbed in. She turned out the lamp and curled into a ball, clutching her pillow in her arms.

"Why do you do this?" She whispered to herself, as the tears started running down her cheek. She sobbed silently in hopes that Chris and Dov wouldn't hear her. She let her whimpers and sobs carry her to into a fitful sleep.


	17. Chapter 17-Can't Get You Out Of My Head

**A/N: It was pointed out to me by a guest that my line 'Holly was hip deep, in, well, a hip.' was derived from itusedtobefun's 'It has been a day'. I sincerely apologize for the line and have changed it to a different line. I am deeply sorry itusedtobefun. Please enjoy the rest of the fic. **

Holly woke up in her bed with her clothes still on. She didn't remember how she got there, then last night's memories came flooding back to her. Gail coming over, the mac and cheese, Holly telling Gail she loved her and Gail running off. She rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 7:21. She really didn't want to go the lab, she just wanted to curl up under the covers and sleep all day. But she knew that being the senior lab technologist, she had to go in.

She climbed out of bed and made her way to the shower. She stood under the stream of hot water until her skin start to turn red. She turned off the tap and wrapped a towel around herself. She walked out to the bedroom and pulled a pair of pants and V-neck shirt. She looked at the clock. She was really going to be late now. She walked out to the living room and grabbed her coat and bag. She walked out to her car and drove to the morgue.

She walked up the stairs into the lab and tossed her coat and bag on her chair. She pulled on her lab coat and a pair of clean gloves. She heard Laura walk in.

"How's it going with Gail?" She asked making her way over.

"I don't want to talk about it." She replied flatly, not bothering to look at her.

"Ok." Laura answered, getting the point, turning back around and heading back to where she came from. Holly sighed. She looked at the body on the table. It was a 40 year old man. The report told her that he collapsed at work and never made it to the hospital. She grabbed her scalpel and inspected the body. Nothing like a good mystery to take her mind off of last night.

Gail opened her eyes slowly, not wanting to relinquish the fact that she was awake. But never the less, the ray of sun shining into her room confirmed the fact. She rolled over and covered her head with the pillow. She peeked out from under it and glanced at the clock. She really should get up, it was 10:32. She groaned and pulled herself up. It was her last day off and she wanted to enjoy it.

She stood up and walked over to the bathroom. She rifled through the medicine cabinet for the Advil. After coming home last night, she may have drunk a few too many beers. She found the Advil and swallowed two. She walked back out to her bedroom and threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater. She walked out to the living room and saw Dov sitting on the couch.

"Hey." He said, not bothering to turn around to look at her.

"Hey." She replied. "I'm going out to breakfast, see ya." Dov mumbled something incomprehensible and Gail walked out the front door. She hoped that the café on the corner was still open for breakfast. She walked down the street and pulled her jacket over her mouth. She hated the winter weather.

She turned the corner and walked into the café. She stomped off her boots and made her way over to the counter. She looked over their pastries and decided to have an apple turnover. It technically wasn't breakfast food but she really didn't care. She ordered that and a latte and went to sit at a table in the corner. She took a sip of her coffee and peered out the window. It wasn't that busy out considering it was mid-morning.

She ate her pastry, savoring the cinnamon-apple taste. Her grandmother always made apple turnover's when she was little and she loved eating them while her grandmother ate one with her. She finished and threw the wrapper in the garbage. She got a refill on her latte and walked out the door. She didn't want to spend her last day off sitting in the flat, so she decided to go to the pier. It wasn't that far of a walk from the coffee shop.

A couple minutes later, she reached the pier. She walked down the long expanse of wood and stopped at the end. She cleared a spot from the snow and sat down. The pier was freezing, but she didn't care. It was a good spot to relax. Considering it was winter, there was nobody else around, which made the silence music to her ears. She sat there and enjoyed her latte.

When she decided that she had had enough of the cold, she stood up and walked back. She stopped and looked around. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go. She rarely went out and when she did, it was The Penny. She looked around and decided to just walk. She turned down the street and made her way downtown. As she was walking she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

She pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was from Holly.

_Can we meet somewhere and talk? You're stuck in the tree and I want to help you down. H_

Gail sighed and put the phone back in her pocket. She didn't want to talk to Holly right now, or anytime soon for that matter. She kept walking, not really caring where she went. She looked at her phone again and was surprised to see that it was 12:57. That explained why she felt hungry again. She kept walking until she saw a half decent restaurant. She opened the door and walked in. It was mildly busy; it was almost the end of lunch.

She sat down at a table in the back and looked over the menu. A couple minutes later the waiter showed up to take her order.

"I have a large order of fries, no ketchup, and a coke." She said. The waiter nodded and walked back to the kitchen. About 15 minutes later, the waiter came back with her fries and coke. She thanked him and started eating her fries. They were kind of soggy and the coke was flat, but again, she didn't care. It would curb her hunger until dinner. She felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out of her pocket. It was Holly, again.

_Gail, you can't avoid this forever. But for now, stay in that tree. H._

She sighed and put in back in her pocket without replying. Hopefully Holly would get the point. She finished her fries and coke and fished a twenty out of her pocket. She left it on the table and walked out. She was tired of the town, so she decided to head home. It was half an hour before she made it back. She kicked of her boots and walked over to the couch. She elected to play Xbox until Chris got home. She texted him to pick a pizza on his way home.

She spent the next couple of hours playing Call of Duty. Dov came out of his room about an hour in and joined her. Around 6, Chris came in, carrying the pizza box that she had requested.

"Bring it over here. And beer." She demanded, stretching her arms out to grab the box. He handed it to her before going back to the fridge to grab them each a beer. He handed them their drinks and grabbed his controller. They started up the game, munching on their pizza while playing. While they waited for the game to load the next level, Chris broke the silence.

"So, how's it going with Holly?" he asked, looking over at Gail, who had gone tense.

"I don't want to talk about that." She answered coldly, still staring at the screen.

"Gail, it's good that you-" Chris started to say.

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" She screamed. She got up from the couch and ran to her room, where she slammed the door shut. Chris sat there with a startled look. He got up, walked over to Gail's room and knocked softly on the door.

"Gail." He said.

"Go away!" She yelled through the door. Chris walked away, knowing she wouldn't answer him any more then telling him to go away.

Holly looked at her phone again. Gail still hadn't answered her back. She had sent her at least two texts and she knew that Gail was avoiding her. She put down her phone and went back to the lab report she was supposed to be writing. But, it wasn't progressing as well as she hoped. Her phone was distracting her. Rather, the _lack _of texts on her phone was distracting her. Even though Gail wasn't talking to her, she was still disrupting her.

She knew Gail had a tendency to run if she got scared. Why had she pushed her? She told Gail she loved her, which was true, but that petrified Gail. But with her ice blue eyes, her smart replies, the way she always cuddled with her if she was tired, Holly couldn't deny the feelings that had developed inside of her with each minute she spent with the blonde.

She turned back to the computer. It was 9:00 and she was still in the lab, trying to finish the report so she could go home and head straight to bed. 'Focus Holly.' She told herself. Half an hour later, she finished the report, albeit, it was not her best report she had written. She hit print and walked out to the hall where the printer was emitting her papers.

All of the sudden, it made a weird jamming sound and the papers that came out were crumpled and ink was all over the page. Holly sighed and walked back into the lab where she hit the print button again.

She walked back out to the machine again and it made the beeping noise again. A page started to roll out, before becoming jammed.

"No, no, no!" She shouted, pulling on the paper. It reluctantly came out, sending Holly stumbling backwards. She hit the wall and steadied herself. She sunk down against the wall and buried her head in her hands. She sobbed silently, her sobs racking her body. She didn't care anymore about the report. She walked back into the lab and tossed her lab coat on the chair. She picked up her bag and coat and walked out.

She drove home and went straight to her room. She was hungry, but she didn't care. She stripped off her clothes and put on a pair of baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt. She hoped that sleep would come soon to take her away from her horrible day.

Gail flung herself on her bed and buried her head under her pillow. She didn't want Chris of Dov bothering her. She just wanted to stay balled up under the covers for the rest of her life. She felt a tear run down her cheek and she was quick to wipe it away. 'Peck's don't cry.' She told herself. But she couldn't stop them from flowing down her face.

She got up and walked to the bathroom. She locked the door and rested her hands on the sink. She looked up and saw the hole in the wall from last night. Suddenly, all of last night's feelings and emotions came back to her. She grabbed the mug that was sitting on the counter and threw it as hard as she could against the wall. It shattered into a million pieces as shards of it came back and cut her arms.

She slunk down against the wall, her arms bleeding and her sobs plaguing her body. She heard footsteps and then a knock on the door.

"Gail? Are you ok?" She heard Chris ask. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand and sniffled.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She lied. Hopefully he would buy it and leave her alone.

"Are you sure? I heard that-"

"I'm fine Diaz!" She shouted. She heard his footsteps walk away. She started crying again. She looked at her arms and saw the blood streaking down them. She stood up and grabbed some tissues and starting wiping them. She tossed the blood stained tissues and tossed them in the toilet and flushed. She watched as they turned the water red, before disappearing.

She looked around and sighed. She still had the mug to clean up. She grabbed a broom and started sweeping up the fragments and disposing them in the garbage. She looked at the hole in the wall. There was nothing she could do about it now. She would have to go to Home Depot and pick up some plaster to cover it up. It wouldn't be the first hole she had put in a wall.

She walked back to her bedroom. She crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over her head. Tomorrow she had to head back to work. Work was a good way to take her mind off of things, except Holly was there. Hopefully, she would be patrolling all day, and wouldn't run into her. 'Tomorrow is a new day.' She thought as she closed her eyes and drifted into a restless sleep.


	18. Chapter 18-We Were Us

**A/N: I'm sorry for the feels, but I had to!**

Gail heard her alarm beeping; signalling that is was time to get ready for shift. She sat up and grabbed her uniform off of the chair. She pulled on her issued pants and button up the starchy shirt that she hated. She pulled on her vest and utility belt. She unlocked the box that she kept her service weapon in. She grabbed her bag and walked out to the living room where Dov and Chris were sitting; she didn't say anything to them and walked out the door.

She drove to the precinct and walked inside. She headed to the locker room and dropped her bag in her locker. She walked down the hall and into parade. She sat by herself and nobody bothered to come sit with her. Chris and Dov probably warned everybody that she was on a war path today.

Frank walked up to the front of the room and rested his hands on the stand. "Ok, good morning everybody. I trust that you're all rested up for duty. Welcome back Peck and Epstein. I want you on desk duty today for your first day back. Other than that, assignments are on the board. Serve and protect. Now go!" He said clapping his hands together.

Everybody stood up and walked over to the board, while Gail and Dov walked out to the desks. Gail sat down and started on the pile of folders. Dov sat down a couple of desks away and did the same. Gail hated desk duty; she'd rather be out on the street. Plus, you had less of a chance of running into Holly if she was out patrolling.

Sam came over to her and sat down. "You're with me today peck. You're helping in identifying a body found in the woods last night. Here are the files. Get started." He handed her the files and walked back up to his desk.

Gail opened the file and started pulling out papers.

For the next couple of hours, Gail ran papers through the system and made phone calls trying to identify the kid. No one seemed to know or recognize the kid. She sighed and sat back in her chair. Sam walked over to her and dropped a box on her desk. She peeked in and looked at the plastic containers that were inside.

"What's this?" She asked, closing the box and looking up at him.

"Samples. I need you to take them up the lab and have them tested. I don't want you to come back until you have the results." He said walking away.

Samples, he said.

Samples meant the lab.

The lab meant…

"Sam!" She called out. "Get them tested Peck!" He called back over his shoulder. Gail sighed and stood up. There was no avoiding the task. She grabbed the box and walked up the steps to the lab. She stood in the door and cleared her throat. Holly turned around and looked at Gail.

"What are you doing here? This isn't…"

Gail thrust the box at her. "I need you to run some samples." She said plainly.

"Oh, right." Holly walked over to her and grabbed the box from her. She walked over to the table and started unloading the containers and placing them in the centrifuge. She started the machine and walked back to the body she was working on. They both knew that the machine would take an hour to spit out the results.

Gail walked in and sat down on the spare chair.

"You don't have to stay here, you know." Holly said sharply, not bothering to look at Gail, because she knew if she did, she'd have to look at her ice blue eyes; the one's that melted her every time.

"Yes I do. Detective's orders." She replied, spinning herself in the chair. Holy sighed and resumed working.

After an hour of intense tension and silence, the machine beeped, indicating that the results were ready. Holly picked up the sheet and walked over to her desk. She ran the paper through the scanner, which would identify the DNA and reveal the name and information of the victim. A couple of minutes later, the machine printed a piece of paper with all of the victim's information on it.

Holly walked over and handed it to Gail. She stood up and grabbed the paper. Her hand touched Holly's fingers for a brief second before she pulled away.

"Thanks." Gail said, walking out of the lab and down the stairs to where Sam was standing.

"Ok, the victim's name is Ben McPherson, age 26. Home address was 251 Yarley Street, lived with his girlfriend." Gail read.

"Let's go talk to the girlfriend then." Sam said. Gail was glad he had decided to bring her along. They walked out to the parking lot and hopped on one of the squad cars. As Sam was driving, Gail felt her phone in her pocket; it was a text from Holly.

_We need to talk Gail, it doesn't matter if you want to or not._

Gail shook her head and put her phone back in her pocket. Holly wasn't giving up that easily.

Sam turned and looked at her. "Who was that?" He asked.

"No one." Gail replied, looking out the window. Sam didn't bothering pushing. A few minutes later they arrived at the house. They got out and walked to the front door. Sam knocked on the door. A woman answered the door. "Can I help you officers?" She asked.

"Yeah, do you know Ben McPherson?" Sam asked.

The woman nodded. "He's my boyfriend. Is he in trouble?"

"I'm sorry to say this ma'am, but your boyfriend was found dead last night, I'm sorry for your loss." Sam announced.

The woman grasped at the door frame to steady herself. She burst into tears and leaned on the doorframe. Gail looked around at the surrounding houses. She saw a man rolling a rug out to the curb, most likely for garbage. The man saw her and quickly darted back inside.

Gail tapped on Sam's shoulder. He turned to look at her. "I'm going to have a look around, ask some questions." She said. Sam nodded his approval and Gail walked off to the house she saw the man come from. She walked up the steps and knocked on the door.

The man answered the door; Gail noted that he looked rather nervous. His leg was bouncing up and down and he was fidgeting with his fingers. "Hello sir. I was wondering if maybe you've seen this man lately." She held up the picture of the victim. He shook his head and tried to close the door, but Gail stuck her foot in, preventing him.

"Do you mind if I have a look around your house?" Gail asked opening the door. All of the sudden, he shoved Gail into the wall and took off.

"Sam!" She shouted as she ran after him. Sam turned around and saw her chasing after him. He excused himself and took off after them.

"Police! Stop!" Gail shouted, but it was no use. He turned around and as she was running, Gail saw the gun that was aimed at her. She saw the end of the barrel that was pointed at her head. Her training kicked in and she reached for her weapon, but she wasn't quick enough. He pulled the trigger and kept running.

All of the sudden time slowed down. She heard the gun go off, the characteristic pop of a Glock. She reached down for her service weapon, but then the impact hit her. Three shots.

One hit her vest; it caused her to stumble a little.

One hit her shoulder; she felt her body being jerked back.

One hit her leg; she knew she was done.

She dropped to the ground as her leg gave out from under her. She didn't feel the pain as her adrenaline kicked in, sending her body into hyper drive. She gasped for air as heart started beating faster, trying to keep up her blood pressure as her blood trickled out of her wounds. She reached up and touched her chest. She pulled her hand back and saw that it was stained red. Her head started spinning and she heard footsteps running over to her.

"Gail! Gail! Stay with me Gail!" He shouted at her. Gail looked at him and his face started to blur and his words sounded slower and slower.

"I need a medic to 249 Yarley Street! I have and officer down! Repeat, officer down!" He shouted into his walkie. He looked down at Gail again and pressed his hand to her wound to stem the bleeding.

"Come on Gail. Stay with me, don't leave me now." That was all that Gail heard as the world around her went black.

The next thing she knew, she was riding in an ambulance, she hated ambulances. She looked up and saw the face of a paramedic staring down at her. She looked over and saw Sam sitting on the bench, watching her.

"Officer, can you tell me your name?" She looked at him and tried to respond, but no words came out. Her vision started to blur again and she was thrown into the sea of blackness again.

Dov was in the lab when he heard the crackle over his radio. 'All units on deck to 249 Yarley Street. We have a shooting, one officer down.' Dov stood up from his chair.

"I've got to go Holly, just hold on to the results when you get them." Dov ran out the door. Holly stood there, not quite sure what had happened. She replayed the radio's sentence over in her head.

_'__249 Yarley Street.' _She thought. 'Wait a minute, Gail left for 251 Yarley Street…' The realization hit her and she sat down before she passed out. 'Not Gail, please not Gail.' After a minute she sat up and grabbed her coat. She ran out the door to her car. When she got in, she realized that she didn't know what hospital she was being treated at.

She sat in her car, not quite sure what to do. Her emotions were running wild. She wanted to be there for Gail, but at the same time, she was mad at her for just running away like that. She made up her mind. She got out and walked back inside. She saw Frank sitting at his desk. She knocked on the door and he ushered her in.

"Dr. Stewart, what can I do for you?" He asked.

"What hospital is Gail being treated at?" She asked quickly. Frank looked at her for a second before replying.

"St. Marc's." He replied and Holly rushed out the door to her car. She knew that the division usually didn't give out where officers were located, but Frank had made an exception. She got in her car and made it to St. Marc's in record time. Probably because every officer in the precinct was out looking for the guy who shot Gail.

She rushed in and saw Sam and Traci in the waiting room. She walked over and gave Traci a hug and waved at Sam.

"How is she?" Holly asked nervously. She had never had to deal with this sort of stress before and now that she had to, it was freaking her out.

"She just went into surgery." Sam replied. Holly sat down and rested her head in her hands. Traci sat down beside her and placed a comforting hand on her back.

"Don't worry; she'll make it through this. She's a Peck remember?" Traci said calmingly. Holly sat up and looked at her.

"The last time we talked, I told her I loved her." Holly said. Traci was looking at her with intent eyes.

"We were sitting on the couch, she cooked us mac and cheese. We were watching a movie and she looked at me and I told her I loved her. Then she ran away. She ran away and ignored me. What if she doesn't make it through?" Holly stammered.

"Don't think like that. She'll make it." Traci replied.

"I want to be here for her when she wakes up. I want her to know that I'm not leaving her." Holly babbled. Traci smiled at her.

"She knows that already. Gail reacts a little differently than most people when it comes to feelings and emotions. But she knows that no matter what, you will always be there for her." Holly sat back and sighed.

A couple of minutes later, Chris, Dov, Oliver and the rest of their group came rushing into the waiting room. Sam waved them over to where they were seated. Everybody's faces were crippled with fear and anxiety. 'It's a good thing I'm not a cop.' Holly thought.

Sam stood up and took control. "Ok, she went into surgery about half an hour ago. But for now, we wait." Everybody took a seat. Oliver came over and sat down beside Holly. He was one of the officers that knew how much they cared for each other.

"How ya holding up, sweetheart?" He asked quietly.

"Not very well." Holly responded, leaning her head on his shoulder. He wrapped a comforting arm around her. Holly knew why Gail like Oliver so much, he was like a dad to her.

"Don't worry, she's a Peck." He responded.

Holly chuckled. "These Peck's seem to have quite the reputation."

"Yes, yes they do." He replied.

Traci walked over and handed Holly a coffee. "Thanks." She replied taking a sip. She was going to need it if she was going to wait in the waiting room for the rest of the night. She had no intention of leaving Gail. She wanted to be there when she woke up.

Holly settled down in her seat and closed her eyes. She knew sleep would be unsuccessful, but she had to try, for Gail.


	19. Chapter 19-Don't Leave Me Know

**A/N: Sorry for no update sooner, exams are coming up soon and I have been busy. I don't know when the next chapter will come because i don't really know where I'm going with it and exams are a bitch. Anyways, please enjoy and review. If you have any comments or suggestions about what I should do next, please PM me. Enjoy!**

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Holly sat up suddenly, trying to remember where she was. She looked around and saw Oliver slumped in the chair beside her, his arms crossed and eyes closed. Most of the officers had been sent home by Frank. But, Steve, Oliver and Holly were still there. Gail still hadn't come out of surgery yet, and the fact was worrying Holly.

She stood up and stretched. A hospital chair was not the most comfortable place to take a nap. She walked down the hall to the cafeteria and ordered a coffee. She decided that Oliver and Steve and Oliver wouldn't mind a coffee either, so she got them each one. The coffee and the power naps were the only things keeping her awake.

She walked back and noticed that the guys had opened their eyes. She handed them each their respective coffees and sat back down. Holly took a sip of her coffee. It was her fourth of the night, but she didn't want to leave in case Gail got out of surgery.

A few minutes later a doctor walked out of the ER doors and looked around.

"Mr. Shaw, Mr. Peck and Ms. Stewart?" He asked, looking around the waiting room for the group. Holly stood up and waved. He walked over to them and took a seat.

"Officer Peck just got out of surgery. The bullet that hit her leg hit an artery, so she's lost quite a bit of blood. The bullet that hit her shoulder didn't puncture any organs, but it hit the collar bone, fracturing it. These next few hours are critical in her recovery. She will have to undergo a blood transfusion to replace the blood that she's lost."

The doctor looked at Holly, whose face had gone pale. She swallowed, it was good that that none of her organs were damaged, but blood transfusions took a couple weeks to do. Gail would hate being stuck in the hospital and at home.

"When can we see her?" She asked.

"She isn't awake yet, but you can go in." The doctor responded. Holly looked at Oliver and Steve. They all stood up and the doctor showed them to Gail's room. Holly walked in and her breath caught in her throat.

There was Gail, eyes closed, sleeping. There was a bandage around her right leg. Her left shoulder was in a sling and was wrapped in a bandage. Holly stood in the doorway and let Oliver and Steve see her first.

Steve walked over and gave Gail a kiss on her forehead. He brushed a piece of hair from her face. "Hang in there, little sister." He whispered. He walked over to Oliver and Holly.

"I've got to head back to the station. Let me know if there's any news." He said and walked out the door. Oliver looked over at Holly.

"You go first." She said shakily. He nodded and walked over to Gail and sat on the edge of her bed. "Thanks Peck." He whispered. Holly knew that Gail was like a daughter to Oliver and seeing her like this was hard for him. He stood up and turned to Holly.

"I've, um, got to get back to the station. Let me know if anything changes." He said, walking out the door and patting Holly's shoulder. Holly walked over to Gail's bed and pulled up the chair. She sat down and held Gail's hand in hers. It was cold and she felt the IV tube that was inserted.

"Babe, I am so sorry." Holly whispered. She had to stop herself from crying.

"What for?" She heard. Gail opened her eyes slightly. She looked up and saw Holly looking down at her with deep, concerned eyes.

"You're ok." Holly said quietly.

"Of course, I was only shot." Gail said with her usual sarcasm. She gave Holly a weak smile. "Holly I…" She tried to speak, but her eyes forced shut, throwing her back into sleep. Holly rubbed the back of her hand with her thumb. Gail was alive, that was all she needed to know.

Holly was half asleep in the chair beside Gail's bed when she felt a hand brush her shoulder. She opened her eyes and turned her head. She saw Gail lying there, smiling at her. She sat up and shifted her body so that she was facing the blond.

"You're awake." Holly said, brushing a piece of hair from her face.

"Very observant, nerd." She quipped. Holly smiled at her.

"Holly, I want to apologize. This is a big thing for me, I usually don't say sorry, it's one of my morals. But for you, I need to. I ran away and I shouldn't have." Gail sighed and looked at Holly.

"It's ok…"

"No, it's not. The last person who told me they loved me, ended up sleeping with my friend and never told me. I'm afraid that it's going to happen again. So, I never let anybody in now, to prevent me from being hurt, again. And then you came along with your lunchbox and you kissed me. Before I knew it, you were farther in then I'd realized. I ignored the fat and then when you told me you loved me, I panicked."

Gail realized she'd been rambling and looked up at Holly. Holly was looking at her with compassion and Gail realized she'd made her point.

"Gail, I told you I love you because I mean it. I didn't mean to scare you away. I'm sorry, I should have known that it would have scared you." Gail sat up and kissed Holly lightly on the lips.

Holly pulled away and stroked Gail's cheek with her thumb. "I'm glad you're ok." She said.

"What would you have done without me?" Gail asked, grinning at the brunette. She patted the side of the bed as she shifted over carefully. Holly reluctantly stood up and climbed up on the bed beside her. Gail rested her head on her shoulder and entwined her finger's with Holly's. Holly smiled to herself.

"How long have you been here?" Gail asked.

"Since I heard you were shot." Holly replied.

Gail tried to do the math in her head, but it gave her a headache. "Sooo, how long is that?"

"About, eight hours." Holly responded, looking at her watch.

"Don't you have to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to make sure you were ok first." Gail smiled and sighed. She had acted like a total dick and Holly still managed to forgive and care about her. She didn't know what she had done to deserve Holly.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Gail asked. Holly didn't respond at first, she didn't know how.

"What do you mean?" She said, looking down at the blond.

"I mean, why do I deserve you? I act like a total dick and you still chose to put up with all my crap. Why do you do it?"

"When you care for someone, you put up with all their crap if it means getting to spend time with the part of them you love." Holly looked at Gail, who gave her a sleepy smile.

"You should go and take a shower, get ready for work tomorrow." Gail said.

"Yeah. I don't want to leave you though." Holly admitted.

"I'll be fine." Gail replied, yawning.

"You should go back to sleep." Holly whispered.

"Yeah…" Gail said, closing her eyes and drifting back into sleep. Holly carefully got up, so not to disturb the blond. She stood up and looked at Gail; she could see the bruises that plagued her ribs, where the bullet hit her vest. She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her sleeping girlfriend's forehead. She walked back out to the waiting room and over to the front desk.

"Can you call this number if any changes occur to Officer Gail Peck?" Holly asked as she handed the receptionist her card. She nodded and placed the card near the phone. Holly walked out the doors and out to her car.

She started the car and drove back to her apartment. She knew that she had to work in the morning, but all she could think of was Gail. She walked in and headed to her bedroom. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the tap for the shower. She hoped that it would help focus her mind a little more. After she got out, she climbed straight into bed. Apparently, waiting in a hospital waiting room for nine hours makes you very sleepy.

The instant her head hit her pillow, she fell asleep.

Holly woke, tangled in her sheets. She looked over at the clock, it was 7:37. 'Crap!" She thought as she sat up and climbed out of bed. She had to be at work by eight and her boss hated it when people came in late. She pulled on some clothes and grabbed her coat.

She walked out the door and climbed into her car. The drive to the lab was slow, with traffic crawling along like a snail. After an agonizing 45 minute drive, she made it into work. She walked up the stairs and dropped her coat on her chair. She pulled on her lab coat and a clean pair of gloves.

She walked over to the gurney where Laura had prepped the first body of the day. She looked over the body and grabbed her scalpel. Right on cue, Laura walked in.

"You gonna assist me with this or just stand there?" Holly asked sarcastically.

"Well, I was, but after that comment, I might leave you to it, alone." Laura replied, drawing out the last word. Holly laughed. Laura smirked at her and grabbed a pair of gloves. Holly made the incision and opened up the chest cavity. She removed the liver and handed it to Laura to have it weighed.

Laura walked over to the scale and place in the drum to measure it. "So, Gail." She said, not looking at Holly. Holly knew this as coming, and didn't try to avoid it.

"Yeah, what about her?" She asked.

"Have you… patched things up yet?" Laura asked. She hoped she hadn't pushed the line by asking.

"Yeah, she's, um, in the hospital. She was shot." Holly said. She didn't want to have this conversation. Laura walked back and place d the liver on the bench.

"Is she Ok?" She asked as she took the next organ to be weighed.

"Yeah, she has to have a blood transfusion. I'm heading over to see her at lunch." Holly said.

"Hm." Laura said, ending the conversation. Holly was glad, too. She really didn't want have this conversation.

After a couple hours, they were still working on the body, but Holly's stomach insisted that it was time for lunch. She turned to Laura, stripping off her gloves.

"You mind if I take an hour for lunch?" She asked. Laura nodded and Holly dropped her lab coat on her chair and traded it for her winter jacket. She walked downstairs and out to her car. Along the way, she picked up a couple of Gail's favorite donuts and a bag of cheese puffs. She knew that she would be dying in there without her daily consumption of junk food.

She arrived at the hospital and asked the front desk if she could visit. The receptionist stood up and showed Holly to Gail's room.

She walked in and saw Gail sitting on her bed, fiddling with the TV remote. She was too focussed on the TV to notice her. Holly walked over and grabbed the remote from out of her hands and placed it on the side table. Gail looked over at her visitor and smiled.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I've brought food." Holly replied, holding up the bag to show her.

Gail put her finger to her lips. "Shhhh!" She pointed at the door. "Close it first." Holly obliged and stood up to shut the door. She sat back down and started unloading the containers. Gail grabbed one of them and opened it up, revealing a batch of pot stickers.

"Holly, you are my savior. The food here is disgusting. I'm not sure if they're trying to kill me, I might have to arrest them for attempted murder." Gail said, shoving pot sticker in her mouth.

Holly laughed. "Eat your food before they find out I'm smuggling in illegal substances." She replied. She was glad Gail had her normal sarcastic personality back.

"When do you get out of here?" Holly asked.

"They're letting me out in a week, and I have to show up every couple of days for my transfusions." She replied, swallowing her dumpling and reaching for the next container. She picked up a pair of chopsticks and shoved some noodles in her mouth. She was really glad Holly had stopped by with food. The hospital meals were absolutely nasty.

Holly set down her food and looked at her watch. "I've got to head back to the lab. Are you ok here?" She asked.

Gail whined and looked at her. "Yeahhh. Although, you could stay here and keep me company?" She asked.

Holly laughed and stood up. She grabbed her jacket and leaned down to kiss Gail's forehead. But at the last second, she turned her head, capturing Holly's lips with her own. Holly smiled into the kiss. She pulled back and looked at Gail.

"Stop distracting me." Holly accused as she put the containers back in the bag.

Gail smiled smugly at her and waved at the bag. "Get rid of the evidence." She said.

Holly grinned at her from the door way. "Don't worry, I know how."

"Later nerd." Gail said as Holly walked out of her room. She walked out of the hospital and climbed into her car. She looked at the clock, it was 12:47. She really didn't want to go back to work. She decided to call Laura.

"Hey, do you think you can cover me for the rest of the shift?" She asked.

"Yeah, I guess. It's not busy here, so I'm just sitting around." She replied

"Thanks see you tomorrow." Holly ended the call and started her car. She just wanted to curl up on the couch with a huge blanket. She drove home rather quickly; it was the middle of the day. She reached her apartment and stepped in the elevator. She smiled at the memories of Gail coming over, sharing kiss after kiss in here. She heard the ding and stepped out. As she walked down the hall, she remembered the first time she brought Gail here. She was high as a plane and didn't know what was going on.

Suddenly, all these what if thoughts came to her. What if Gail hadn't survived? What if she was in the ICU right now living off of a machine? What if she had lost too much blood? 'Stop thinking like that.' She thought as she turned her key in the lock and stepped inside. She tossed her coat and bag on the chair, not caring where they landed. She walked to her bedroom and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She walked back to the kitchen and made herself a mug of hot chocolate.

'A dash of Bailey's won't hurt.' She thought as she poured a splash of the liquor into her mug. She walked over to the couch with her cup and curled up. She grabbed the fleece blanket and wrapped it tightly around herself.

She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until she found a channel playing a movie marathon. She spent the afternoon on the couch, not moving, just staring at the screen trying to distract herself from Gail.

By 10:00, she had fallen asleep in that position, her body slumped down so that she was lying sideways. Her chest rose and fell as she slept; her body thankful for the rest.


	20. Chapter 20- The Only Proof I Need Is You

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, I'm having trouble coming up with what to write. And the fact that I'm trying to balance school, exams, writing and fencing. But anyways, here it is. I hope you enjoy it at my expense. **

Gail heard a rustling sound as she woke up. Instinctively, she reached for her service weapon, but of course, it was in her storage locker back at the station. She opened her eyes and turned her head to where the noise was coming from. She saw a nurse checking over the tubes and looking at the monitor. She sighed and turned back. 'The stupid nurse woke me up?' She thought.

The nurse noticed this and smiled at her. "Don't worry about me dear, I'll be out of here in a second." Gail faked a smile at her and looked out the window at the street. It was a usual Toronto morning. People rushing everywhere, cabs and cars lining the street and the Colombian coffee vendor that Andy loved so much on the corner.

The snow was coming rather heavily; coating all the little people and cars in a thin blanket of white. At least she didn't have to patrol out there. She hated patrolling in the snow. Your feet were freezing and people were always more rude in the cold. Not that they weren't rude in the first place, this was Toronto after all.

A couple minutes later, the nurse looked at her. "The doctor will be by later to check on your wounds." She said and left Gail to her sullen misery. Gail didn't respond so the nurse left the room.

She hated being in here. Hated being confined to this hospital bed with nothing to do besides look out the window at the crowded street and watching the old TV play nothing but the Young and Restless re-runs. 'Being shot sucks.' She thought as she tried to sit up. But as soon as she did, it sent a wave of pain through her body. She grimaced and pulled herself up anyways. She looked down at the bandage that covered the most part of the top of her right leg.

Her left arm was in a sling and her shoulder was wrapped up. She used her right hand to pull up the side of her hospital gown, revealing a blue and purple bruise that covered the most part of her stomach. She reached down and touched the colored area. It wasn't the first time she had been shot, but definitely the worst. She knew that she would spend about two weeks in the hospital, one week at home and then be on desk duty for a couple weeks. It would be a while before she would be back on active duty.

She closed her eyes to try to sleep, but she couldn't get comfy. She hated hospitals. The uncomfortable beds, the germs, all the doctors poking and prodding at her. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on her door. Hoping it would be Holly, she responded.

"Come in." She said, not bothering to see who it was.

"Hello Gail." The person responded. The voice was definitely not Holly's. She looked over and saw the doctor walk in. She groaned and turned back to staring at the wall.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked, looking at her monitor and recording something on her chart.

"I would be better if I want stuck in here doing nothing." She replied coldly. He chuckled. Unfortunately he wasn't one of the people who were scared of her cold glares and sarcastic remarks. He walked over to her bed and started to unwrap her bandage on her leg.

"How's your leg been feeling?" He asked.

"A little itchy." She replied, watching him inspect her wound and then wrap a clean bandage around it.

"What about your shoulder?" He said, lifting up the bandage to do the same to the other wound.

"Sore." She said. She hated having people touch her and this was killing her. Except Holly. Holly's touch sent shiver's up her body and made her brain implode. Holly could touch her and she would forget about everything else that was going on…

"Gail!" She looked up and saw the doctor staring at her.

"What?" She asked as if she had been paying attention the whole time.

"The wounds are looking good; you should be able to leave in a couple of days. But, you will have to come here every other day for the blood transfusions." He said. "I'll leave you to your day dream then." With that, he walked out, closing the door behind him.

She leaned back in her bed and closed her eyes. All this socialising had made her tired. She quickly fell asleep, as uncomfortable as the bed was.

Holly woke up, tangled in a blanket, her body half on the couch, half on the verge of falling off. When she realized how close she was to falling off, she shifted her body, but his only caused her to tumble off the couch.

"Ow." She said to herself as she ended up on the floor. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She picked up her phone from the coffee table and looked at the time, 7:03. She hoped she could be in by 8 so that she could get out a little earlier and visit Gail. She was probably bored out of her mind just sitting on that bed all day.

She stood up, almost falling over as she stepped out of the large blanket and making her way over to her bedroom. She tried to get the kink out her back that was caused by sleeping on the couch all night, but it was no use.

She stripped out of her sweatpants and walked over to the bathroom. She turned on the tap and waited for the water to heat up. Spending the night on the couch was definitely not the best idea. She saw the steam coming from the shower and stepped in. The scorching water felt good on her aching shoulders. She turned off the tap and wrapped a towel around herself. She wiped away the fog from the mirror and looked at herself.

Her eyes were tired and it seemed like she had aged a couple of years. 'I guess that's what happens when your girlfriend gets shot.' She thought. Ever since she learned that Gail had been shot, she couldn't help but worry.

She walked back out to her bedroom and pulled a pair of panties and bra out of her drawer. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a sweater. She didn't care what she wore to the lab; she didn't feel like wearing a pair of jeans today. She walked out to the kitchen and put a piece of bread in the toaster. As she waited, she opened up the fridge and took a swig from the jug of orange juice. She stopped when she realized what she was doing. Gail's eating habits were rubbing off on her.

She heard the toaster pop up and she grabbed the peanut butter and spread some on. Taking a bite, she grabbed her bag and coat and walked out the door. She drove to work, munching on her toast. As she got there, she licked the peanut butter off her fingers and walked towards the lab. She walked through the door and tossed her coat on the chair. She pulled on her lab coat and a clean pair of gloves.

A few seconds later, Laura walked through the door.

"Hey," Holly said as she started pulling out the samples from the fridge and put them on the counter.

"Feeling a little lazy today, Holly?" Laura teased as she pulled on a pair of gloves. Holly just stuck her tongue out at the woman and went back to sorting samples. She was feeling lazy today. She was constantly running between the lab, the hospital and home and it was taking its effect on her.

They started sorting and analyzing samples when about an hour later, Holly heard her phone vibrating on the table behind her. She took off her gloves and picked it up. It was a text from Gail.

_Chris dropped off my phone today. So now I can bug you all day with it. __J_

Holly laughed and tapped out her reply. _Ya know, some of us don't get the luxury of lying in bed all day. _

_Believe me Holly, this is not a luxury. Sitting here doing nothing is killing me. Come visit? _Holly knew that Gail was going out of her mind doing nothing.

_As soon as I finish, I'll come visit. _

_Good. Bring cheese puffs. _Holly smiled to herself and out her phone down. She grabbed a clean pair of gloves and went back to work helping Laura.

Holly looked at the clock, it was 2:30. She had just finished testing all the samples and Laura was labelling them. She hoped that maybe she could get out of here and go visit Gail for a while. It wasn't too busy, she had barely done anything all day except testing samples and filing some old reports.

"Can you finish here?" She asked Laura as she took her lab coat off and replaced it with her jacket.

"Yep." Laura said as she raised a thumbs-up to Holly, giving her the go ahead.

"Thanks." Holly called out as she walked out the door. She climbed in her car and made her way to the hospital. Before pulling in to the parking lot, she took the car around the block to the grocery store. She had promised Gail her cheese puffs and if she didn't live up to it, she might end up on one of those hospital beds.

She walked into the store and searched around until she found the biggest bag of cheese puffs she could find. It would be hard to sneak them in to her room, but she promised after all. She also bought a packaged sandwich to munch on since she hadn't stopped for lunch. It was the cost she had to pay for leaving early.

She walked to the counter and paid the cashier. She walked back out to her car and pulled it into the hospital parking lot. She walked in and told the receptionist that she was here for visiting hours. She gave her a clip and told her to go ahead.

As she walked into Gail's room, her heart stopped. The bed was empty. All the what if memory's came back to her. She put the food on the table and raced back out to the receptionist.

"Umm, uh." She stuttered to the receptionist. She had the sentence in her mind but her mouth wouldn't formulate it. The lady gave her a weird look. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Where is Officer Gail Peck? She wasn't in her room." She said.

The receptionist looked over some papers. "She just went in for her blood transfusion, she should be out in half an hour." She answered.

"Thanks." Holly said as she walked back to Gail's room. Her heart had finally started to slow down from the intense rush. She sat down on the bed and leaned into the pillow. She sat like this, waiting for Gail to return. She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she heard a familiar voice.

'You're in my bed nerd."

Holly sat up and smiled at the blond who was being wheeled into the room. Holly got up off the bed and let the nurse help her into the bed.

"This is my nerd." She told the nurse, pointing at Holly.

"She's just wearing off the effects of the anesthesia, so she might be a little… weird. Just make sure she's drinking." The nurse explained, pointing at the water bottle.

Gail looked over at her and pointed a shaky finger at the assistant. "No judging." She said, her words slurring.

"Fun." Muttered Holly as the nurse left the room. She sat down on the chair beside her bed and picked up the bottle, handing it to Gail.

"Do you want a cup?" She asked.

Gail gave her a disgusted look. "I'm a big girl Holly; I think I'm quite capable of drinking from a water bottle." She brought the bottle up to her lips and took a sip, almost spilling it over herself. Holly reached out and took the bottle from her and set it back on the table.

"You can barely handle a water bottle, are you sure you can handle these?" She teased, waging the bag of cheese puffs in front of the officer's face. She saw her eyes light up and she reached for the bag. Holly pulled the bag out of reach at the last second.

"Holllyy." Gail whined. She hated when people teased her with food, especially cheese puffs. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her bed. She gave Holly her best glare hoping that it would convince her, but she just laughed. After a couple of seconds, Holly resentfully handed the bag over to Gail, who snatched it out of her hands and tore it open, shoving some in her mouth. She smiled at the delicious taste of cheese and yellow-47.

Holly grinned at her and pulled out her own sandwich. They sat in silence, eating their respective meals. When Holly had finished her sandwich, she threw her wrapper in the garbage and took the bag from Gail.

"I think that's enough artificial flavouring for you for one day." She said, placing the bag on the table.

"You can never get enough cheese puffs." Gail said matter of factly. She accepted defeat and lay back in her bed.

"How was work?" She asked.

"Oh, you know, pretty boring." She replied. Gail didn't respond, so Holly looked over at her. Her eyes were fluttering shut and she knew that she was on the verge of sleep. As soon as Holly settled down in her chair, she heard Gail speak up.

"Are you going to sit there the whole night?" She asked.

"I wasn't going to go home just yet, so yeah." She responded, as if it was obvious.

Gail scooted over to make space and patted the spot beside her. She looked at Gail, her eyes stating that it wasn't going to happen. Gail frowned back at her, her blue eyes flashing back at her. Holly couldn't resist her girlfriend's ice blue, stare you down, look inside your soul eyes. She stood and up made her way over to the bed.

She carefully climbed into the small bed, careful not to disturb Gail. They lay side by side, Gail's head resting on Holly's shoulder. Holly reached out and entwined her fingers with Gail's. She rubbed the back of her hand and she heard Gail sigh at the gesture.

Holly's eyes were slowly shutting, giving in to her tired body. Gail looked up at her sleeping girlfriend. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Holly, I'm really sorry for running away. I know I already told you this but I feel like I need to say it again. It scared me when you said you loved me. But it shouldn't. Because… you make me feel amazing. You see all the good things about me and you even love all the bad parts. I really don't deserve you, but you put up with all my shit because you love me. And I guess I just wanted to say that... I love you."

Gail finished her speech and opened her eyes. She looked at Holly, who hadn't stirred at all during her dialogue. Maybe it was better that way. She needed to get it out of her system because it had been bugging her ever since Holly told her she loved her.

She settled down as best as she could, her head resting on the brunette's shoulder. She closed her eyes, hoping that she would fall asleep as fast as Holly did. Her speech and the surgery had exhausted her mentally and physically, so sleep came easily. That fact that Holly was right beside her helped her fall asleep just that much quicker.

**A/N: If you have any suggestions or comments, please PM me. **


	21. Chapter 21-When It Comes To You

**A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter. But the next one should be coming soon. **

Holly woke up, trying to remember where she was. She looked around, taking in the sight of Gail's head on her shoulder and the hospital blanket draped over their legs. She carefully lifted the blanket off of her legs and slowly sat up. As soon as she did, she felt Gail's grip on her hand get tighter and pull her back down.

"Don't go." She mumbled. For someone who had gotten shot, she still had a fair bit of strength. She carefully unwrapped Gail's fingers from hers and sat up.

"I have to go to work, babe." She whispered to the half-asleep Gail. She finally relented and Holly climbed up off the bed. She grabbed her phone off the table and looked at the clock, it was 6:47. Perfect timing. She had time to go back to her apartment, shower and head into work.

Holly didn't want to leave her, but she had to go to work. She threw her coat over her arm and bent down to kiss he goodbye. She gave her a quick peck (no pun intended) on her forehead and heard her mumble something about not leaving.

"Sorry, hun." She replied, not sure if Gail had heard her or not. She walked out the door and out to her car. It was early enough that there wasn't that much traffic, but it was still Toronto. She reached her apartment and stepped inside. She threw her bag on the counter and walked over to her bedroom and sat down on the bed.

She really wanted just to fall over and sleep, she hadn't gotten much more than an hour or two in the hospital, worrying that she might bother Gail. She finally stood up and stripped off her sweats. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the tap. 'A cold shower will wake me up.' She thought.

She hopped in and turned on the tap, not waiting for it to heat up. Immediately, she regretted her decision. Jumping back, trying to avoid the freezing jet stream, she cranked the tap up to hot. As soon as she felt it start to warm up, she slowly stepped back into it, enjoying the pulsating, hot water being streamed at her back.

She turned off the tap and wrapped a towel around herself. She walked back to her bedroom, hair dripping on her shoulders. She pulled on a pair of trousers and a button up V-neck. She desperately needed coffee. She walked back out to the kitchen and started a fresh batch.

She poured herself a travel mug and picked her coat up off the chair. She walked out of the apartment, armed with her coffee and the fact that she was running on two hours off sleep.

Gail slowly opened her eyes, not yet ready to relinquish the fact that she was awake. But, the nurse shaking her shoulder revealed the obvious. She couldn't wait to leave the hospital.

"Gail, time for your second transfusion." The nurse said. Gail hated going for the transfusions. Maybe if she pretended she were sleeping she wouldn't have to go.

"The doctor will be here in about two minutes to wheel you in." She said, walking out the door. 'Damn.' She thought. So much for fake sleeping. She slowly sat up and adjusted herself on the bed. She reached for her phone on the nightstand. There were two messages from Holly.

_Have fun with your transfusion today. Xo _Gail smiled; Holly knew that Gail hated the transfusions with a passion.

_Don't try to kill the nurses. __J_ Gail frowned at the phone and tapped out her reply.

_Would you help me bury the body if I did?_

She set the phone down on the table as the doctor walked in with a wheelchair.

"Ready Gail?" He asked, helping her out of the bed and into the chair.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She grumbled as he wheeled her out into the hall.

Holly was sitting, staring at her computer. She had been in this position for almost 15 minutes. She was supposed to be writing up the report for the victim of a shooting a few weeks ago, but her brain was completely dead. She wasn't able to focus all morning.

She had drank about three coffees this morning, and the caffeine had fried her nerves. She looked over her shoulder back at Laura, who was loading the organs back into the body to ready it for the family.

Holly looked at the clock on the bottom of the screen, it was 12:32. Perfect time to take a break. She stood up and tossed her lab coat on the chair.

"You Ok here?" She called out to Laura.

"Yeah, I'll just have a conversation with the dead body here." She said sarcastically. "He probably has more to say than you today." Holly laughed, it was true. She hadn't been speaking much all morning.

"I'll be back in about an hour." Holly replied as she walked out the door. She walked down the steps and decided to go through the precinct today. As she was walking to the doors, she heard someone calling out her name. She turned around to see where the voice had come from. It was Traci.

"Hey, are you going to see Gail?" She asked, walking with her towards the door.

Holly nodded. "Yeah, did you want to come?"

"No, I'm stuck patrolling the mean streets of Toronto with those guys." She said jokingly, pointing at Chris and Dov who were seeing who could balance a pencil on their chin the longest.

Holly laughed. "Well, have fun with that."

"Tell Gail I said hi." Traci said as she walked back to the desks. Holly continued out to her car and climbed in. She made her way to the hospital, stopping to pick up a bag of cheese puffs on the way. She parked her car and walked into the building.

As she was walking down the hall she heard a familiar voice, singing? 'It can't be.' She thought as she rounded the corner to Gail's room. The closer she got to her room, the louder the singing became. Sure enough, as she walked into Gail's room, there she was, sitting on her bed, holding a spoon as a microphone, belting out Cee Lo Green.

"I see you driving 'round town with the girl I love and I'm like, forget you! Oo, oo, ooo I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough I'm like, forget you! And forget her too!"

Holly giggled and Gail looked up at her. "I never would have pegged you for a Cee Lo Green fan." She said.

Gail just looked back at her and pointed her good arm. "And you still gonna pay your fare because you know you look so good to me call me anytime I don't care because you look so good to me Shawty let me see you shake it!" She belted out, waggling her eyebrows at Holly.

Holly laughed and walked in. "Let me guess, you just got back from your transfusion and they have you all hopped up on pain killers?"

"Yeah, and it feels kinda good." She replied, closing her eyes and humming.

"Which would make you feel better, the drugs or these?" Holly asked.

Gail's eyes popped open at the sound of the bag crinkling. "Gimme gimme!" She cried, reaching for the bag. Holly gave her the bag and she tore into it, shoving a handful into her mouth.

"My God, there is nothing better than cheese puffs." She said with her mouth full of cheese puffs and some crumbs falling out as she spoke. "Except sex. Sex and cheese puffs are pretty closely tied." She winked at Holly and reached back into the bag. "Buuuut, sex with you tops it all."

Holly laughed. "Yeah, well, with you like that" She said gesturing at her sling "you won't be getting any for a while." Gail groaned and fell back in her bed.

"Enjoy your cheese puffs. The nurse keeps giving me the evil eye every time I bring them in." Holly said.

"Well right now, they're the only thing that brings me joy in this place of misery and germs." She responded.

"What about me?" Holly teased.

"Well, since no sex for a couple days…" Gail trailed off.

Holly laughed. "I see how it is." They sat in silence, except for the crunching of Gail on her cheese puffs. She loved that Holly came here to visit her, to keep her company, brought her cheese puffs… The nurse walking in interrupted her Holly thoughts.

"Good news Gail. You are being released tomorrow, I have your discharge papers right here." She said, wagging the papers in her hand. Gail did a little dance in her bed to celebrate. The nurse handed Holly the papers and walked out of the room.

Holly looked over the papers and grabbed a pen off the table. "Do you want to sign these now…"

"Duh! The sooner I get out of here the better!" Gail exclaimed. Holly started filling out the papers, asking Gail occasionally when she didn't know the answer. About half an hour later, Holly finished and got up to give the papers to the receptionist.

She looked over the papers and sighed a breath of relief. "Thank goodness this one is leaving." She said, putting the papers in a file.

"What do you mean?" Holly asked.

"She would just start singing in the middle of the night, or demanding that we bring her cheese puffs, whatever those are. Last week she walked up and down the hall with her stand, yelling 'Get me out of this Hell hole!'". The nurse told her.

"Yep, that sounds like Gail." Holly replied, walking back to Gail's room.

"From the receptionist's perspective, it sounds like you have been quite the patient." Holly accused, sitting back down in the chair.

Gail threw her good arm up in the air. "What can I say?" Holly shook her head and looked at her watch.

"I've got to head back to the lab, babe." Holly said, standing up and grabbing her coat. Gail groaned and gave her best puppy dog face. Holly laughed and rolled her eyes. She walked over and gave Gail a kiss. As soon as she started getting up, Gail pulled her back down and deepened the kiss.

It sent shivers down Holly's spine and reminded her why she loved this woman so much. Gail let go of her collar and Holly stood up. Gail had a wicked gin on her face and Holly just shook her head.

"Be nice to the nurses." She warned as she slipped her arms into her coat.

"Always." Gail replied with fake sweetness. Holly waved and walked out the door. One more day and she would have Gail back. Back in her apartment, back in her arms, back in her bed… she opened the car door and climbed in. She drove back to the lab, suddenly remembering that she forgot to tell Gail that Traci said hi. Oh well, too late now she thought.

She got back to the lab and climbed up the steps. She walked in and threw her coat down on the chair and grabbed her lab coat. As soon as she slipped her glove son, Laura came waltzing in with a smug look on her face.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm leaving early." She said, picking up her coat. "Payback for all the times you've left early, leaving me here to fend off against all the dead bodies."

Holly groaned. She had left early an awful lot lately and she probably deserved it. "Fine." She said, waving her hand in the air as Laura walked through the doors. She looked at the prepped body on the table. At least Laura had prepped it before she left.

She walked over and picked up her scalpel and made the usual Y incision.

It was finally 11:00 by the time Holly finished the autopsy. She stripped off her gloves and threw them in the disposal bin. She pushed the gurney back into the storage room and shut the huge door. She switched her lab coat for her jacket.

She walked out to her car, the street lights illuminating her path. She climbed in a drove home, it wasn't busy out, it _was_ 11 at night. She made it to her apartment and stepped inside. She tossed her coat on the chair and walked into her bedroom.

She stripped off her clothes and replaced them with a pair of baggy sweatpants and an old t-shirt. As soon as she climbed into the bed, she could feel the exhaustion taking over her body. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

The countless hours running back and forth from the hospital weren't doing her body any good. She was always exhausted and it was showing in her work. But if it meant spending time with Gail, so would do it in a heartbeat.


	22. Chapter 22-Missing This

Gail was flipping through her phone when Steve appeared in the doorway.

"Hey." She said, as he walked in and dropped a bag with sweatpants and a sweater on the table.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked, sitting down in the chair.

"Just great." She answered sarcastically.

"They found him." Steve said. He wasn't sure if Gail was listening, so he looked up at her. She was looking back at him.

"Yeah?" She asked, only half interested.

"Found the evidence, too." This peaked Gail's interest.

"Found the knife used to stab him and the carpet with his blood stains. You were right." Steve said. Gail suspicions were right. After they found the suspect, they had gotten a warrant for his house where they found all the evidence they needed to convict him.

"You did well, kid." Steve said, patting Gail on the leg. They sat in silence. Gail knew what was coming up next and she was trying to avoid it.

"Have you called mom?"

There it was, the dreaded question. "No, why would I?" She retorted, fiddling with the bandage on her leg.

"Because she cares about you Gail…"

"No she doesn't! If she cared, she would have visited. She didn't visit once! Once! She didn't come when I was in surgery of when I was sitting here, spending my miserable days sitting here. All she cares about is her job and how I make her look. You get the pat on the backs and the congrats. I get the 'when are applying for detective?' or 'are you going to be a beat cop for the rest of your life? She doesn't care about my wellbeing at all."

Steve sat there in silence, not sure how to respond. "How's it going with Holly?" He asked, changing the topic.

"Good, she brings me cheese puffs." Steve smiled, if there was something she loved as much as Holly it was cheese puffs.

"Well, I've got to head back to the station." He said, looking at his watch and standing up. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Don't terrorize the nurses on your last day." He said smiling.

"That's my only joy here." She replied. He laughed and walked out the door. She sighed and went back to her phone. She sent Traci a text.

_This is my last day here. Then I'm back with you bitches. __J_

_Please, if anything, you're my bitch. _

Gail smiled, Traci was one of her closest friends, if her only friend. She could never be mad at her; the thought of Jerry was always in her mind when she talked to her. She felt like she owed Traci a part of her because Gail had taken away a part of Traci.

Holly opened one eye, and peeked at the clock on the nightstand. It was 9:24. Thank goodness it was Saturday. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She really didn't want to get up. She just wanted to fall back in the bed and sleep for the next week.

She decided to do just that. She fell back and curled up under the covers. She was just about to fall asleep when she heard her phone vibrate on the table. She groaned and sat back up. It was a text from Gail.

_I'm being discharged in an hour. Come pick me up?_

_Is this a request or an order?_

_An order. Come get me._

Holly stood up and stretched. She walked to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She walked back out and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. She was too tired to wear something nicer this morning. She pulled on her jacket and grabbed her purse.

She walked out the door and locked it behind her. She knew that in a couple of hours that life would be very hectic.

Gail was sitting on the edge of her bed. The nurse was checking her shoulder and leg tapings.

"I'm fine. That's why they're discharging me." She said, pulling her leg away. The nurse looked at her and kept inspecting her leg.

"No, they're discharging you because they're sick of you." She muttered under her breath.

"No, they're discharging you because they're sick of you." Gail mimicked. The nurse scowled at her and rewrapped her leg. She walked out of the room and Gail stuck her tongue out at her. She sat back in the bed and sighed. Holly would be here soon and then she would take her home, or back to her place.

She closed her eyes and folded her hands together. A few minutes later, she heard a knocking at the door. She opened her eyes and saw Holly leaning against the door.

She quickly sat up and hopped off the bed as best as she could. "Good, you're here. Now, let's get out of here." She grabbed her phone and pulled on the pair of sweatpants that Steve had dropped off earlier.

"Easy there." Holly said, trying to slow Gail down.

"You have to sign your discharge papers first." Holly explained.

"Well, where are they?" Gail said, frantically searching for them.

Holly held them in her hand. Gail rushed over to her and snatched them out of her hand. She scribbled her name across them and grabbed her bag.

"Now, let's go." She said, walking out of the room, with her bag in one hand and dragging Holly with the other. She handed the receptionist the papers and walked out the doors. When she stepped outside, she stopped and took a deep breath.

"Ahhhh. The smell of smog and Torontonian disrespect." She exclaimed. Holly laughed and directed her towards her car.

"My place or yours?" She asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

"Yours." Gail responded. She fiddled with the radio station until she found a station. She leaned her head against the window and hummed along with the song. Holly looked over and smiled to herself. She was glad to have Gail home and safe.

About 20 minutes later, Holly pulled into the parking lot of her apartment. They climbed out and walked into the building. As they stood in the elevator, Gail reached out and grabbed Holly's hand. Holly looked at her, but she just stood there.

The elevator opened and they stepped out. Holly unlocked the door and they walked inside. Gail kicked off her shoes and went immediately to the couch, where she flopped down and lay across it.

"I missed this couch." She mumbled into the cushions.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Holly asked from the kitchen.

"Alcohol!" Gail yelled from the couch. Holly grabbed something from the fridge and set it on the coffee table. Gail sat up and looked at this.

"What is this? I specifically requested alcohol." She asked gesturing at the plate on the table.

"Toast." Holly responded, taking a sip from her water bottle, sitting down on the couch.

"This is not alcohol." Gail said stubbornly. After spending a week in that hospital, she needed something strong.

'No while you're on these." Holly said, shaking the bottle of pills the doctor had given her. Gail groaned and slumped over in defeat. She knew that Holly would be making sure she took them and that she wasn't drinking.

She grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite. Holly grinned at her and Gail gave her one of her glares. Eventually Holly turned the TV on and settled down. Gail finished her toast and cuddled up next to Holly. She rested her head on her shoulder and wrapped her arm around Holly's stomach. Holly reached out wrapped her arm around Gail's shoulder, resting her hand on her head and mindlessly playing with the blonde's hair.

Holly had missed this. Just the two of them hanging out and enjoying each other's company. Holly reached down and brushed some locks of hair from Gail's face. Gail looked up at her and leaned in to kiss her.

Holly met her halfway and tangled her hand in Gail's hair. Gail deepened the kiss and traced Holly's lower lip with her tongue. Holly moaned at the contact and opened her mouth to let Gail in. it had been too long without tasting this woman and Gail wanted to taste every part of her. She pulled back from Holly's lips and started on her neck.

Holly groaned when she pulled away but was content when she started on her neck. Gail trailed kissed from her jawline to her ear lobe, where she stopped and nibbled. Holly shuddered involuntarily and pulled Gail into her lap. Gail continued down her neck and sucked on her pulse.

Holly moaned and tugged at the bottom of her shirt. Gail pulled back so that she could take it off. Holly looked at the purple and blue bruise that plagued the side of Gail's stomach. She reached out and traced it with her finger. Gail went back to Holly's neck and Holly trailed her hands up and down her ribcage, careful not to hurt her. She brushed the underside of Gail's breast and she gasped before continuing her ministrations.

As soon as Holly reached around to unclasp her bra, she heard Gail's phone buzz. Gail pulled back and groaned. Holly sighed and sat back so that Gail could get up and grab her phone. Gail stood up and searched around for her phone. She finally found it and answered.

"What?" She exclaimed into the phone.

"Um, I was just, uh, calling to see if you were coming home for dinner tonight?" Dov asked. He was clearly shaken up by the tone of voice Gail had used.

She sighed and looked at Holly. She mouthed the name 'Dov' and Holly nodded in understanding. "No, I was going to spend the night at Holly's."

"Ok. Well, have fun." With that he hung up. Gail tossed her phone on the table and crawled back into Holly's lap. She wrapped her arms around her neck, drawing her closer. "Now, where were we?" She mumbled into Holly's lips.

Gail and Holly were sitting at the island seats. Holly had made Gail and her spaghetti and Gail was already on her second bowl. Holly was watching as she scooped another helping into her bowl and started eating.

"How are you still hungry?" Holly asked. After a bowl and a half, she was stuffed.

Gail turned to look at Holly with a serious look on her face. "This" she said, rubbing her stomach "is a never ending pit." She turned back to her pasta and continued eating. Holly shook her head and stood up. She grabbed her bowl and took it over to the sink.

Gail grabbed the spoon and was about to scoop some more into her bowl when Holly took her bowl away.

"Hey!" She exclaimed in protest. _No one _came between her and her food. Chris had learned that the hard way.

"I'm cutting you off, officer." Holly said, filling the bowl up with water and letting it soak in the sink. She walked back over to Gail and planted a kiss on her lips. When she looked at her, Gail was frowning. Holly laughed and grabbed her hand.

She pulled her up and over to the couch. Gail sat down while Holly put in the DVD she had rented. She sat down on the couch beside Gail.

"If I let you keep eating, you wouldn't have room for these." She said, pulling a box of donuts out from behind the couch. Gail gasped in surprise and grabbed the box from Holly's hands. She yanked it open and practically drooled over the dozen glazed donuts that were lined up the box.

Gail wiggled her fingers over the box, trying to decide which one to eat first. She finally grabbed one and took a large bite. She moaned from the deliciousness of the sugary pastry.

"There is also room for donuts, Holly. Damn, these are good." She mumbled between bites.

"Don't say I never gave you nothin'." Holly said, taking a bite from her donut. Gail shifted from her position on the end of the couch so that she was now curled up next to Holly. Holly smiled to herself and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder.

Holly opened her eyes. The TV screen had gone black and was making a buzzing sound, telling her that the movie had ended. She reached beside herself and pressed the off button on the remote. The screen flicked off and it was dead silent.

She sat up and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She looked down and saw Gail's sleeping body curled up next to her. She picked up her phone and looked at the time. It was 1:24. She had fallen asleep halfway through the movie and Gail shortly after her.

She gently shook Gail's shoulder. "Gail…" She said softly, so not to startle her.

Gail stirred a little bit stretching her arms out and wrapping them around Holly's waist and burying her face in her stomach. "What?" She mumbled into her side.

"We should head to bed." Holly said, unwrapping her arms and standing up. She stuck her arms out to help Gail up. She pulled her up and walked to the bedroom. Gail stumbled into the bed, wrapping the covers around herself. Holly pulled off her shirt and crawled in next to her. She lay on her side, mirroring Gail.

Holly thought that she had already fallen back asleep. But, a few seconds later, Gail shifted closer to Holly, so that their bodies were touching. Holly reached out and wrapped her arms around her waist. She nuzzled her face in her neck and heard Gail sigh at the action.

"Goodnight, babe." Holly whispered.

"Goodnight…" Gail whispered back as she fell asleep in the comfort of Holly's embrace.


	23. Chapter 23-My Eating Habits?

**A/N: Sorry about the delay again. But I figured if the story was good, it's worth it. ;) Please review and PM me if you have and comments or suggestions.**

Gail opened her eyes and for a second, she had no clue where she was. Then she remembered, Holly picking her up from the hospital, coming back to her place, the donuts, the _sex… _she looked over at the clock on the nightstand, it was 9:23.

Her brain told her to go back to sleep, but her body was already wide awake. She carefully slipped out of Holly's embrace and crawled out of bed. She threw on one of Holly's sweaters and crept out of the bedroom. She went straight to the coffee maker and filled it up. She scooped some grounds in and pressed the button.

She went to the fridge and looked in. there wasn't much in there, a bottle of ketchup, a jar of jam and a carton of eggs was basically the jest of it. She pulled out the jam and grabbed the bag of bread off the top of the fridge.

She put a few slices in the toaster and popped it down. She grabbed a few plates from the cupboard and stood in front of the coffee maker, waiting for it to finish.

In the bedroom, Holly opened her eyes, surprised to find that she was the only one in the bed. She stretched her arms and then she smelled the coffee. She smiled to herself and slipped out of bed. She pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and walked to the door. She saw Gail standing in front of the coffee maker in only her sweater and underwear.

She stood in the doorway of her bedroom and watched Gail fidget with the coffee maker. She loved this woman fiercely and would do anything for her. She just hoped that Gail could realize that and not run away.

She decided that enough was enough, so she slowly walked over to the kitchen. Gail hadn't noticed her, so she took the opportunity. She walked up behind her and sneaked her arms around her waist. Gail jumped at first, than melted into Holly's embrace, leaning her head back to rest on her shoulder.

Holly had missed this. Waking up, making breakfast together and just hanging out.

"Good morning." She whispered into Gail's ear. She planted a kiss on her neck and she heard Gail purr and saw the corners of her mouth lift into a smile. She turned around so that their faces were inches apart. Holly loved the way that Gail's blue eyes sparkled when she smiled.

"Good morning." She responded, leaning in to give Holly a proper kiss. She wrapped her arms around the brunette and pulled her closer. She breathed in Holly's familiar scent and kissed her again. She pulled back and smiled at her. Holly's dark eyes screaming her love for Gail.

Gail heard the toaster pop up and she let go of Holly and spun around. She pulled the toast out of the toaster and put them on a plate for each of them. She spread some jam as Holly poured them each a mug of coffee.

Holly walked over to the couch as Gail followed with their toast. She sat down and handed Gail her mug. Gail set the plates on the table and graciously accepted the coffee. They sat on the couch in silence as they drank their coffee and ate their toast.

"Thank you for the gourmet breakfast." Holly joked as she chewed the last bite of her toast.

Gail gave her a glare. "No need for the sarcasm. At least I made breakfast." She said, standing up and taking their plates to the kitchen. She walked back to the couch and curled up next to Holly. She rested her head on her shoulder and slipped her hand under her shirt to ghost her fingers over Holly's taught stomach.

Holly smiled and wrapped her arm around Gail. "What do you want to do today?" She asked, twirling a piece of Gail's long, blond hair around her finger.

"Nothin'." Gail mumbled into Holly's shoulder. She really didn't want to do anything. She wanted to just sit on the couch, curled up with Holly and watch TV all day. Holly hummed and stroked Gail's cheek with the back of her hand.

"We should go back to your place, so you can grab some clean clothes." Holly suggested.

"Ugh." Gail groaned. She sat up and stretched. She stood up and pulled Holly up. They grabbed their coats and walked out the door.

Gail and Holly walked up the front steps of her flat. She searched for her key in her bag and pulled it out.

"Dov and Chris are working the weekend night shift." Gail explained as she walked inside. She tossed her bag and coat on the table and Holly did the same.

"I'm just going to take a shower. Make yourself at home." Gail said, walking to her bedroom and shutting the door. Holly walked over to the couch and sat down. She grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels until she found something decent.

About half an hour later, Gail walked out of her bedroom, her wet hair dangling around her shoulders. Holly turned her head and saw her walking towards her. She scooted over to make space.

"You could have joined me, you know." Gail whispered in Holly's ear, wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck and pulling her closer.

Holly felt her pulse quicken. "Well, if you had told me that earlier…" She replied.

"There's always time right now…" Gail whispered again, her voice getter deeper.

Holly swallowed. She loved hearing Gail talk like that. She turned her head and captured Gail's lips with her own. Holly wrapped her arms around Gail's waist and pulled her into her lap. Gail nipped at Holly's lower lip and Holly groaned at the contact. She opened her mouth and invited Gail in. she felt Gail's tongue slip in and felt the heat between her legs.

She reached down and tugged at the bottom of Gail's shirt, indicating that she wanted it off. Gail complied and removed her arms so that Holly could pull of the shirt. After it had been discarded on the floor, Gail attacked Holly's neck, leaving kisses along her collarbone and jawline.

Holly moaned and teases the top of Gail's pant line. They both knew where this was going. Holly was skimming her fingers along the bottom of Gail's back and Gail was feverishly placing kisses along Holly's neck and nibbling on her ear.

All of the sudden, they both heard the front door open. Holly looked up and Gail looked at her, her eyes panicking.

"I thought you said that they were working." Holly whispered to Gail, not wanting the intruder to hear.

"They are." Gail whispered back. She climbed off of Holly and peeked around the corner. She whipped back and looked at Holly.

"Shit! It's my mother!" She whispered/yelled at Holly.

"What's your mother doing here?" Holly asked. She grabbed Gail's shirt off of the floor and threw it at her. Gail pulled it on and shrugged. Luckily, the living room was behind a wall, so Elaine wasn't able to see them.

"Go hide in my room." Gail whispered, pointing at her door. Holly nodded and crept away into Gail's room. Gail smoothed down her hair and adjusted her shirt. She took a deep breath and walked out into the living room.

"Mother! What are you going here?" She asked with false sweetness.

"I thought I would come and visit. I haven't seen you in a while, dear." She replied, giving Gail and kiss on her cheek.

"How did you get in?" Gail asked.

"The door was unlocked. I would have thought you would have known to lock it after you by now, dear. Did you forget?"

"Yeah." Gail replied. "Would you like anything?" She asked, hoping to get to the point of her mother's unexpected visit.

"No thank you, dear. I was just hoping to catch up with you. You know, work, the hospital, your girlfriend…"

Gail flinched at the last part. How did she know? It could have been Chris, Dov… Steve. Gail motioned to the couch. She wished that she could have something to drink to numb the harshness of the visit. Elaine sat down and Gail sat on the other end of the couch.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, motioning to Gail's leg and shoulder. Gail shrugged.

"Come on, dear, no need to be so modest. I went through the same thing a couple of times." Her mother lived to tell about her famous policing days. Any chance she got she would remind them of when she ruled the streets.

"It's nothing mom, really." Gail replied. She knew what was coming up next and just wanted to get to the point of the visit.

"So, how are your dates going? Are you interested in any if the men I've set you up with?" She asked. Gail knew that Elaine knew that she wasn't going on any of the dates and was already seeing someone.

"No." Gail mumbled.

"Oh, that's right, because you've already met someone." Elaine said. Her voice was accusatory and stern.

"Yes mother, I have." Gail replied. Holly was listening in the other room. Her stomach stirred at the fact that Gail admitted it.

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you never cared about me!" Gail said, her arms in the air.

"That's not true!" Her mother shot back.

"Then why didn't you visit me in the hospital? You never actually cared about me. You cared whether I made you look bad or not. You just wanted to make yourself look good by parading your perfect little police daughter around!" Gail looked at her mother, she hadn't broken her poker face and she folded her hands in her lap. Gail knew she was in for it.

"Well, do I at least get to meet her?" Elaine asked politely. Gail knew that it was faked.

"Fine!" She said, standing up. "You want to meet her? Here she is." She walked to the bedroom and pulled a surprised Holly out of the room. She walked her out to where she was standing by the couch.

"Mom, meet Holly. My girlfriend." Gail said, motioning to Holly. Holly stood there, a little confused about what was going on. After a couple of seconds, Holly stuck out her hand and Elaine reached out and shook it. Her grip was firm, telling Holly that she was dominant in this conversation.

"Hi." Holly managed to say. Her nervousness must have been obvious to her because she loosened her grip afterwards.

"Elaine Peck. Nice to meet you." She said with a fake smile. Holly smiled back weakly.

"Holly, why don't you get us something to drink?" Gail suggested, trying to numb the awkwardness for Holly.

"Right." Holly said, rushing off to the kitchen. While Holly was in the kitchen, Gail took the opportunity.

"You told you?"

"Your brother. He told me about you too. Glad to know that one of my children likes to speak to me." Gail rolled her eyes.

"Screw him." Gail muttered under her breath. Holly came back with a glass of wine for each of them.

"No thank dear. I'll be leaving anyways." Elaine said standing up. "Nice catching up Gail. And nice to meet you Holly." With that, Elaine walked out the door as calmly as she came in. Gail shut the door behind her and turned to kook at Holly. Holly was still standing near the couch with a couple of wine glasses in her hand. She was clearly in more shock then Gail was.

Gail walked over to her and took the wine glasses from her hands. She set them on the coffee table and took Holly's face in her hands. She brushed a piece of hair from her face and looked into her eyes. Her dark eyes were frightened and she was scared stiff.

"You alright?" Gail asked. Holly swallowed and nodded. She was a little shocked, but other than that, she was fine. Gail pulled her down to the couch and wrapped her arms around her. Holly buried her face in Gail's shoulder and breathed in the familiar scent.

"SO what do you think of my mother?" Gail asked, with a sideways grin on her face.

Holly looked up at her and laughed. "She is… something else."

Gail nodded in agreement. "If you were born a Peck, you were a police officer. She's had this vision for me that I would get married have kids and be the face of 15 Division. She's always trying to set me up. I guess she didn't suspect that I didn't want that. I didn't tell her about you because I knew that she would make a big fuss out of it because you're not 'mom' approved and not her perfect son in law."

Holly shook her head in understanding. "Once I told my parents I was gay, they kind of dropped all big dreams for me. But they still support me." Gail grabbed her phone off of the coffee table.

"We are going to say hello to my lovely brother Steve." Gail said with a smug face as she typed his number into her phone and hit dial. Holly giggled and sat up. Gail put the phone on speaker and they listened for Steve to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hello Steven." Gail said into the phone. She was going to have so much fun with this.

"Hey, Gail. What's up?" He asked nervously. He knew something was up, Gail was never this happy.

"Mom visited me today."

Gail could here Steve's nervousness over the phone. "Oh really? What did she have to say?"

"She was just catching up. You know, the hospital, Holly. But you know the weird part, I didn't tell her about Holly. And I figured hmmmm, it could have been Dov or Chris, but they were working today. So then I thought, who else knows about Holly that talks to mom a lot. Oh wait!"

"Gail, what was I supposed to do?"

"You could have warned me!"

"Yeah, maybe I could have…"

"Anyways, it's done now. Nothing can be changed. But, I think you owe me and Holly a drink…"

"Or two at The Penny, you got it. And Gail, I'm sorry."

"See you later, big brother." With that, Gail hung up the phone.

"That was mean." Holly said as she curled up next to Gail.

"He owes us a few rounds of beers." Gail said matter of factly. Holly laughed and kissed Gail on the cheek.

…

They spent the rest of the day hanging out on the couch. Holly walked over to the couch and handed Gail a bag of cheese puffs.

"First donuts and now cheese puffs? Are you an angel?" She asked, shoving a handful in her mouth.

"Just a loving girlfriend." Holly replied, sitting back down beside Gail.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"I was just going to eat these for dinner." Gail replied, holding up the bag of cheese puffs. "I'm not really hungry." Gail said after Holly gave her a disapproving look.

"Ok, well I am." Holly said, walking over to the kitchen. She came back a few minutes later, with a bowl of cereal and a beer.

"Are you trying to tease me with that beer? And cereal, really?" Gail pointed out, motioning at Holly's choice of food.

Holly took a long swig of her beer and grinned at Gail. "I don't think you should be knocking my dinner preference." She said, pointing at the bag in Gail's hands. Gail shoved another handful in her mouth and stuck her orange tongue out at Holly.

Gail ate her cheese puffs and Holly ate her cereal as they sat on the couch watching a Walking Dead marathon. Gail had chucked the bag on the coffee table and curled up in Holly's lap. Holly was in the middle of sleep and being awake while Gail was gone, fully submitted to her exhaustion and the effect of the pain killers.

Holly opened her eyes enough to look at the time on the stove, 10:49. She shook Gail's shoulders gently to wake her up.

"Gail, babe." Gail opened her eyes slightly, peering up at Holly with tired eyes. "We should get to bed." Gail nodded and started to get up. She led Holly to her bedroom. Gail handed her a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt to change into.

Holly walked over to the bathroom to change and brushed her teeth. By the time she got back out, Gail was already curled up under the covers. She crawled in and curled up beside Gail. Gail turned her head to look at Holly.

"Goodnight babe." She said softly. She turned back over and pulled Holly's arm across her waist.

"Goodnight." Holly replied, leaving a kiss on Gail's neck, before curling up behind her.


	24. Chapter 24-Take me Home, Where I Belong

**A/N: I had a really fun time writing this chapter and getting to portray the wrath of Elaine Peck. As always, please review and comment! FYI, the title has nothing really to do with the chapter, I just needed a title and I love this song right now! Look it up, Take me home, country roads remix, Hermes house band!  
**

Holly woke up to her alarm and quickly tried to silence it. It was Monday and she had to work, but Gail was still off and she didn't want to wake her. She rolled over to turn it off and heard Gail groan as she removed her arms from Holly's waist and curled up in a ball.

Holly sat up and threw the covers off of her, careful to disturb Gail's fetal position, tangled up in the blankets. She crept around the bed and pulled on her clothes from last night.

"Noooo, stay." She heard Gail whine. She turned around and saw Gail peeking out from under the covers.

"Can't, got to get to work." Holly replied, doing up the button on her pants. She buttoned up her shirt and grabbed her jacket. She didn't have time to make coffee when she got back to her place so she would have to grab one from the cart across from the lab.

"I've got to head back to my place first so I can get changed." She explained, walking over to the bed. Gail popped her head out and planted a kiss on Holly's lips. Holly pulled back and smiled.

"Later, nerd." Gail said with a grin as she slapped Holly's butt. Holly turned around quickly and gave Gail a surprised look. Gail just grinned at her. Holly walked out of the bedroom, careful not to disturb the sleeping Chris on the couch.

She gently closed the door and made her way out to her car. She climbed in and drove to her place. She fished her key out of her bag and placed it in the lock. She was surprised to find it already unlocked. She swore she could have locked it last time she left.

She opened the door and just about passed out. There was the one and only Elaine Peck, sitting on her leather couch, flipping through one of her science journals. Holly stood in the doorway, unsure of whether she should run or come in. Elaine sensed her uneasiness and spoke up.

"Come in, dear. It is your apartment, after all." Holly slowly walked into her apartment, although it didn't fell like hers with Elaine Peck standing the middle of it. She set her bag down on the counter and took her coat off slowly, her eyes never leaving the woman. She hung her coat in the closet and clearer her throat.

"Superintendent Peck, what a surprise!" Holly said with fake enthusiasm. "Can I get you anything?" She asked, walking over to the fridge to grab herself beer.

"Let's cut to the chase, dear. We both know why I'm here.' Elaine said, taking a step forwards.

"How'd you get in?" Holly said, looking at Elaine, her eyes ablaze.

"I'm the Superintendent of Police, I have my ways." She responded, not fully answering Holly's question.

"What do you want?" Holly asked, her voice annoyed. Elaine sensed that and gave her a look that would have sent most people running, but not Holly.

"I want to talk about Gail, your relationship with her…"

"If you want to talk about that, why don't you talk to Gail?"

"She would never talk to her mother about it. I figured, why not come to the source of the problem."

Holly flinched at that word. _Problem. _"Oh really? What sort of problem is there?"

"Let's start at the beginning." Elaine said, motioning to the couch. Holly didn't move, making it clear that she was not going to be intimidated by her.

"Beginning?"

"Holly Stewart, age 31. Born in Vancouver to Linda and Davie Stewart." She looked up at Holly, who had an annoyed look on her face. She continued anyways. "Went to U of T for a degree in Pre-Med and then switched to McMaster to complete her degree on Pathology. Completed with top marks in her class and graduated in 2009. Started as the junior lab tech at 27 division before being transferred to 15 Division 3 years ago."

Elaine looked quite impressed with herself. Holy shifted her weight from one leg to the other. She really didn't care or was surprised that she knew all that.

"Ok?" Holly asked/said. She wasn't really sure what she was trying to prove with all this.

"The point is, if I know that much about a stranger; I certainly know everything about my little girl. And I know she is not gay." There it was. Holly knew it was coming. She had dealt with this her whole life.

"It's not up to you to decide Gail's sexuality. There is nothing you can do about the fact that she is dating a woman." Holly stated.

"No, but it is up to me to make sure my daughter isn't screwing up her life." That sentence hit Holly hard and Elaine noticed.

"What makes you think that it's a bad decision?"

"If my daughter wants to rise up through the ranks just as I did, she has to keep in line."

"Maybe she doesn't want to!" Holly was getting angry. Even if she is Gail's mother, she has no right to come into Holly's home and accuse her of 'screwing up' Gail. "Did you ever think that maybe you don't really know what Gail wants? Dating a woman is not out of line. If you can't accept the fact that we are a couple, then I don't want to ever see you again!" Holly breathed deeply to keep the rest of her emotions in check. It was a little too late for that though.

Elaine's face had gone a shade paler and she swallowed. "Well, then. Goodbye Holly, don't expect to ever Gail again." She walked by Holly and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

Holly stood where she was for a couple of minutes. She wasn't quite sure what had just happened. She rarely ever lost her temper and was unsure what had gotten hold of her. She blinked a few times and went over to her coat to grab her phone.

She dialed Gail's cell number and hoped she wasn't sleeping. She heard it pick up and a sleepy Gail answer.

"Hello?"

"Gail, hey."

"Holly, what's up?"

"Your mom visited me."

"Wait, what? My mom was at your place."

"Yeah."

"What happened, are you Ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine; it just kinda freaked me out."

"What happened?"

"I came home and she was sitting in my living room…"

"Wait, how did she get in?"

"She said something about being the Superintendent of Police. Anyways, she listed off basically a summary of my life and how she should know you, I really can't remember."

"I'm coming over."

"Gail, wait…" But the phone line had gone dead and all Holly heard was the ringtone buzzing at the other end. She sighed and placed her phone on the counter. She grabbed her beer and sat down on the couch.

A few minutes later, she heard a knocking at the door. "It's open!" She yelled, not wanting to get up. Gail came in and kicked off her shoes.

"You know, that could have been a serial killer at your door and you would have been dead by now." Gail stated, walking over to the couch and standing behind Holly. Holly tilted her head back and gave Gail a dejected look.

"But that's not why I'm here." She said, kissing Holly on her forehead. She walked around the couch and gingerly sat down beside Holly, trying to bump her bruise. Holly immediately responded by curling up next to her and burying her head in Gail's middle.

"Don't you have to work?" Gail asked, stroking Holly's head.

"I told my boss I'd be coming in late." Holly mumbled.

"Anyways, let's start at the beginning, the witch that came to visit you."

"So I came here to change and your mom was sitting on my couch. She summarized my life and then said 'If I know this about you I know my little girl'. She tried to say that you weren't gay." Gail stiffened at the last part.

"Babe, call it what you want, I don't care. I'm fine with plus one." Holly smiled up at her and continued her story.

"She said it's her decision to make sure you're not screwing up your life by dating a woman and ruining your chance to become a white shirt. She said I shouldn't expect to ever see you again." Holly swallowed and looked up at Gail who was staring straight ahead, her bottom lip pursed.

"This isn't a mistake, is it? You dating a woman?" Holly asked.

Gail looked down at Holly with hurt eyes. "It doesn't matter whether you're a woman or not. You make me happy, that's all that matters." Gail reassured Holly, planting a kiss on the top of her head. Holly curled back down and sighed.

"So now what?" Holly asked.

"Um, I really don't know. If she used Police resources to enter, I can report her, but I doubt it will even get processed. I'll talk to her." Gail sat up and walked over to the kitchen she opened the fridge and peered inside.

"Have you eaten yet?" She asked, her head still in the fridge.

"No." Holly yelled back, taking a sip of her beer. Gail stood up and closed the fridge.

"Really Holly? A beer at 9 in the morning?" Gail said with her hands on her hips.

Holly shrugged. "I didn't know how to deal with your mother." She explained, taking another sip.

"Fair enough. Let's go, we're going out for breakfast." Gail announced, pulling on her jacket. Holly stood up, drained her beer and grabbed her coat. She pulled it on and Gail ushered them both out the door.

Gail linked her arm through Holly's and led them down a couple of blocks to a little café on the corner. She opened the door and they both stepped inside. They were both greeted with smells of cinnamon and vanilla, of pastries baking and brown sugar.

"What would you like?" Gail asked stepping up to the counter.

"I'll have the apple strudel with a lemon tea, please." She told the cashier.

"And I'll have the cinnamon bun with a hot chocolate." Holly pulled out her purse but Gail stopped her. "I've got it." She said, handing a 20 over to the cashier, who handed them their order in return. Gail led them to a table and sat down.

"Thank you, for this." Holly said, covering Gail's hand with her own.

"No problem. You need something to distract you from your earlier encounter." Gail said, taking a bite of her cinnamon roll.

"And this is delicious." Holly said, pointing at her pastry.

They ate their pastries and left. Gail linked her arm through Holly's again and smiled at her. They walked back to Holly's place and stepped inside.

"I should probably get ready for work." Holly said, looking at her phone. She walked into her bedroom and pulled on a pair of pants and shirt. She walked back out and pulled on her coat.

"Thank you. Are you going to hang out here for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah, probably. Is that Ok?"

"Of course. I'll see you tonight." Gail pulled her in for a kiss and Holly couldn't wait to get back here tonight.

"See ya." Holly walked out the door and Gail sat down on the couch. She looked around and picked up one of Holly's science journals. She had gotten in the habit of reading them. Even if she didn't understand most of it, Holly loved that she took an interest in her work.

She flipped through it until one article caught her eye. It wasn't the title or pictures, but the author that made her stop. _Dr. Holly Stewart. _She smiled. She always called Holly nerd because she was smart. She had never mentioned that she wrote articles before.

She read through the article. After she finished, she set it down and flipped on the TV. 'She's my nerd.' She thought to herself. There was nothing good on TV, so she grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and took a nap.

Holly walked into the lab where Laura was sitting on the chair, spinning herself around. She noticed Holly and stood up.

"What took you so long?" She asked, pulling on a pair of gloves.

"I got caught up with something." Holly said, not wanting divulge anything. But clearly Laura didn't get the hint.

"What happened?" She asked, handing Holly her tools.

"I had a visit from the Superintendent." Holly said, inserting the scalpel and drawing a Y.

"Oh." Laura said. That line had made her shut up and Holly was glad. She just wanted to work in peace, with no noises or distractions. So that's how the day went. There were no other bodies and no samples came in. It was a slow day in the lab. But Holly was thankful for it.

Around 6:00, Holly stripped off her gloves and threw them in the bin.

"Go home." Holly said to Laura. Laura didn't need to be told twice. She stripped off her gloves and threw them out. She grabbed her coat and walked out, waving to Holly. Holly sighed and grabbed her coat.

Gail had woken up from her nap a few hours earlier. She could tell when she came over, that Holly was miserable. Which was understandable. She had gotten a visit from Superintendent Mom. She decided to make Holly dinner.

She had gone out and bought a few groceries. She really wasn't that much of a cook, but she would try for Holly. She decided on a rather simple meal, spaghetti. All she had to do was cook some pasta and heat up the meatballs and sauce. She had bought the premade stuff so hopefully she could handle it.

She had put on some music to keep her company while she cooked. She danced around the kitchen, throwing spaghetti in the pot and taste testing the meatballs.

Holly opened the door and as soon as she walked in she heard singing.

"Billy Jean is not my lover! She's just a girl who says that I am the one! But the kid is not my son!" Holly laughed and closed the door. Gail came dancing over and kissed Holly, who just stood there.

"Watcha doing?" Holly asked, taking off her coat.

"Making dinner." Gail said, dancing back to the kitchen to check her spaghetti. Holly walked into the kitchen and observed Gail stir the pasta before placing the meatballs into the bubbling sauce.

"I thought Peck's didn't cook?" Holly asked, sitting down at the island.

"We do for our girlfriends." Gail replied, draining the pasta and setting it down. "And I felt bad about this morning." She scooped some pasta and sauce into a bowl for Holly and set it down before her. "Voila!" She said, a huge grin on her face.

"Thank you." Holly said, taking a bite of her pasta. "Delicious." She told Gail, who grinned like a 5 year old at the complement. She scooped some into a bowl for herself and sat down beside Holly. They ate their spaghetti in silence and curling up on the couch afterwards. Gail looked at her phone.

"We should probably get to bed." She said, yawning. Holly nodded in agreement. They stood up and walked over to the bedroom. Holly handed Gail something to change into and pulled on a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt.

Gail had already climbed into bed, laying on her right side. Holly climbed in after her, curling up behind her and wrapping her arms around Gail. Gail entwined her fingers with Holly's smooth and slender fingers.

Holly had fallen asleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow. Gail listened to the gentle breathing as Holly slept. She lay wide awake, thinking about what had happened. She couldn't go on like this.

Tomorrow would be the day that she faces the wrath of her mother. She closed her eyes and prayed that it would go smoothly. But knowing her mother, nothing went smoothly when she didn't get her way.


End file.
